Liverpool midfielder James Milner has apologised to his teammates for missing a penalty during this afternoon's 0-0 draw with Southampton at Anfield.

The England international saw his spot kick saved by Fraser Forster as Liverpool again dropped points in the top-four race, leaving them just four clear of Manchester United having played two games more than their fierce rivals.

Forster made a point of trying to put Milner off before the penalty, but the Liverpool man insists that his international teammate did not have an effect on his effort.

"I've been around long enough not to let that worry me. I did what I wanted to do - obviously it was not good enough on this occasion. Fraser's a good keeper. I can't do any more than hold my hands up and apologise to the boys," Milner told Sky Sports News.

"They're a tough team to break down. The pitch was a bit sticky at times so it was hard to move it as fast as we like. We didn't play as well as we would have liked. Again, we have to take responsibility for that.

"With these games, we knew what we had to do and we haven't done it. But you can't create more chances than have a penalty - ultimately that was the big chance and it wasn't taken. There are two games left - we have to go and win them and see if that's good enough."

Liverpool take on West Ham United and Middlesbrough in their final two games of the season.