Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard insisted "we've nothing yet" after helping his side to a 2-1 win over Sunderland.
Gerrard settled the nerves at Anfield on Wednesday night when he curled home a 39th-minute free-kick - after being allowed to take a set-piece by prolific striker Luis Suarez.
Daniel Sturridge netted his 20th league goal of the season to make it 2-0 on 48 minutes - but Ki Sung-yeung pulled one back for Gus Poyet's battling visitors to set up a nerve-jangling finale for the home fans.
The result saw Brendan Rodgers' Reds move into second place, just a point behind leaders Chelsea - but third-placed Manchester City are still in pole position as they have two games in hand and trail Jose Mourinho's Blues by three points.
"Credit to Sunderland, they came to shut up shop and made it difficult," Gerrard told Sky Sports 1HD.
"I don't usually get a go (at free-kicks). Luis Suarez has been magnificent on set-pieces but sometimes you need people to step in and I got it right.
"He let me take one! He wouldn't let me take one at Cardiff! But it doesn't matter who gets the goals. We've won nothing yet."
Sturridge has won plenty of plaudits, though.
He and Suarez have both got 20 league goals this season and he said: "It's a great feeling but it's more important for the team. It's not about personal accolades."Reds manager Brendan Rodgers felt his side got their rewards for showing patience.
"It was always going to be really difficult. There's a perception that we're always going to score four or five every game," he said.
"There was a block of eight which was hard for us to penetrate.
"We had to be patient and then our quality came through. Our work rate was outstanding and we scored two excellent goals.
"We made the point that we had to show patience."
Asked if it was a win that marked them out as possible champions, Rodgers said: "Certainly it's a win that good teams grind out.
"We're one point behind and this is it. We will recover for the weekend."
Sunderland boss Gus Poyet was pleased that his side showed enough to suggest their season remains alive.
"I think we can take a lot because everything was set for a four, five, six, seven-nil, which of course we didn't like," he said.
"The feeling of seeing this crowd quite at the end and then celebrating at the end shows it wasn't an easy game for Liverpool.
"The thing (relegation) is killing me. We can play the way we can today but cannot beat the teams at the bottom.
"We need goals, that's the key also. We are not happy because we lost but people did not expect us to play like that."
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