Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will warn his players against complacency when they face Wigan on Monday night by pointing to December's defeat at Portsmouth.
Having beaten the Latics three days previously, the Reds travelled to Fratton Park to face the Barclays Premier League's bottom side only to be beaten 2-0.
Liverpool have lost just once since then - at Arsenal - to haul themselves back into the race for Champions League qualification.
A win at the DW Stadium on Monday would lift them back into fourth as FA Cup action means none of their major rivals have league fixtures this weekend.
At the other end of the table Wigan are embroiled in a relegation battle after just one win in 13 matches, but Benitez is wary of reading too much into that statistic.
"In the Premier League you don't have too many easy games. Wigan are a club fighting for relegation so it will be very difficult for us," said the Spaniard.
"Because Wigan are at the bottom of the table people will say 'You have to win this game', but we know it is not just this one.
"It will be Portsmouth, United or someone else so we have to be ready for every game.
"If you analyse the position in the table you maybe say it is easy, but we have the experience of [going to] Portsmouth so we know we have to be ready and concentrate for this game and be really focused.
"You never know. Sometimes there is more determination in a team fighting against relegation but maybe they will be more anxious and will make more mistakes, it depends on the character of the players.
"It also depends how the game is going. If we score early on I am sure they will be under pressure but if they have more determination it will be more difficult."
Nothing less than a victory at Wigan will suffice, however, as Liverpool would then have played one more match than Tottenham - whom they would have a two-point advantage over - two more than Manchester City and three more than Aston Villa.
Benitez feels there are plenty more twists and turns to come, but knows Liverpool have to take care of their own issues first and foremost.
"We have to see the situation in the table every week because you cannot change what other teams do," he said.
"It depends on the other teams too. No-one was expecting the top teams to lose so many games.
"Last season we lost just two and couldn't win the title. This year teams are losing four or five games so you do not know.
"The main thing for us is to concentrate on our games and try to win every one.
"It is very clear you cannot lose too many games or points so you more or less have to win every game if you want to be sure you will be there.
"You can see Tottenham are doing well, Aston Villa are doing well and City are doing well so we need be sure that we cannot make any mistakes and need to keep working until maybe the last game.
"There is not more pressure, it is something you have to accept when you are a top side.
"Last year we were fighting to be first. It was different, but more or less the same.
"The only thing different is you have three more teams now and it is always more difficult because everyone can win."
Having beaten the Latics three days previously, the Reds travelled to Fratton Park to face the Barclays Premier League's bottom side only to be beaten 2-0.
Liverpool have lost just once since then - at Arsenal - to haul themselves back into the race for Champions League qualification.
A win at the DW Stadium on Monday would lift them back into fourth as FA Cup action means none of their major rivals have league fixtures this weekend.
At the other end of the table Wigan are embroiled in a relegation battle after just one win in 13 matches, but Benitez is wary of reading too much into that statistic.
"In the Premier League you don't have too many easy games. Wigan are a club fighting for relegation so it will be very difficult for us," said the Spaniard.
"Because Wigan are at the bottom of the table people will say 'You have to win this game', but we know it is not just this one.
"It will be Portsmouth, United or someone else so we have to be ready for every game.
"If you analyse the position in the table you maybe say it is easy, but we have the experience of [going to] Portsmouth so we know we have to be ready and concentrate for this game and be really focused.
"You never know. Sometimes there is more determination in a team fighting against relegation but maybe they will be more anxious and will make more mistakes, it depends on the character of the players.
"It also depends how the game is going. If we score early on I am sure they will be under pressure but if they have more determination it will be more difficult."
Nothing less than a victory at Wigan will suffice, however, as Liverpool would then have played one more match than Tottenham - whom they would have a two-point advantage over - two more than Manchester City and three more than Aston Villa.
Benitez feels there are plenty more twists and turns to come, but knows Liverpool have to take care of their own issues first and foremost.
"We have to see the situation in the table every week because you cannot change what other teams do," he said.
"It depends on the other teams too. No-one was expecting the top teams to lose so many games.
"Last season we lost just two and couldn't win the title. This year teams are losing four or five games so you do not know.
"The main thing for us is to concentrate on our games and try to win every one.
"It is very clear you cannot lose too many games or points so you more or less have to win every game if you want to be sure you will be there.
"You can see Tottenham are doing well, Aston Villa are doing well and City are doing well so we need be sure that we cannot make any mistakes and need to keep working until maybe the last game.
"There is not more pressure, it is something you have to accept when you are a top side.
"Last year we were fighting to be first. It was different, but more or less the same.
"The only thing different is you have three more teams now and it is always more difficult because everyone can win."
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