Liverpool defender Andy Robertson says they cannot "rely on the past" after Chelsea inflicted a fifth successive competitive home defeat on the reigning Premier League champions for the first time in their history to leave them battling to make the top four.
Mason Mount's superb individual strike three minutes before half-time gave the visitors a deserved win and extend their unbeaten run under boss Thomas Tuchel to 10 games.
It moved them into the top four, while Liverpool are now in seventh place and in a serious dogfight for the Champions League places.
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The Reds, who won the title last season by 18 points, had gone 68 home league matches unbeaten before their current was started with a loss to Burnley in January.
"Last season is over with, it is done," Robertson told Sky Sports. "We have nowhere near been good enough to what Liverpool team should be. We are dropping further and it is not good enough.
"Games are running out and we need to put the pressure on the teams below us. People will think we are down and out and we need to get the results to show them we are not. At the moment we are not doing that.
"We can't rely on the past."
Mount scored brilliantly when he cut inside to fire a low shot past Liverpool keeper Alisson, reward for a first half dominated by the Blues, who also had a Timo Werner effort ruled out for offside.
Liverpool, for whom a visibly angry Mohamed Salah was substituted just after the hour, barely threatened but were furious when penalty claims were rejected by the video assistant referee after Roberto Firmino's cross clearly struck N'Golo Kante's hand.
Alisson had to save well from the lively Werner, but one goal was enough to give Chelsea and Tuchel another fine victory as they move four points ahead of the Reds.
"You saw the game - it was a tight one, it was a close one, it was an intense one," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told BBC Sport. "We forced them to make mistakes, they forced us to make mistakes. They used one, we didn't use ours.
"Against Chelsea, it would be surprising to play them off the pitch - but we were in the game. It is just annoying to talk about the same things again and again. It is tough. We have to fight through this."
Source: BBC