Villa defender Curtis Davies believes that the gulf between the club and the big four may not be as wide as it looks.

Martin O’Neill’s side finished last season in sixth spot, some 16 points behind Liverpool in fourth, after a mid-season slump saw them fall out of contention.

Davies believes the turning point was when they failed to beat Liverpool after leading at Anfield in January and, had that result been different, the situation could have changed.

He said: “At one point we were very close last season. The turning point would have been if we had managed to hold on and beat Liverpool at their place, when Peter Crouch scored late on and it finished 2-2.

“Liverpool were having a bad run and if we had won that it would have given us a big boost until the end of the season. That is football. Liverpool’s strength in depth is unbelievable. They could field two teams packed with internationals.”

“There is a massive gulf between us in that respect but we gave it a good go with what we had. I feel that we are not too far away from snatching that fourth spot.

“I know a lot is made in the media that it is impossible to get into the top four but it is down to the teams who are not in it to work harder and get the better players in to work towards it.

“The big four aren’t going to lie down so someone else can have a crack at the Champions League. They are going to keep strengthening their teams and we must do the same.”