Just hours after returning from the disappointment of losing an UEFA Cup tie to Serie A side Fiorentina Moyes has to turn his attention immediately to the race for fourth spot in the Barclays Premier League.

Everton are at struggling Sunderland on Sunday but Moyes heaped more pressure on Liverpool - who moved into fourth by beating West Ham 4-0 in midweek - by underlining the Reds' underachievement this campaign.

The Scot, today named Barclays manager of the month for February, insists fourth place for Liverpool is a failure for the Anfield club.

"I thought Liverpool would finish first or second this season with the additions they made; I felt they would come very close to winning the championship," he said.

"I think that it cannot be seen as success if Liverpool finish fourth, if Everton finish fourth then that is success.

"But it cannot be seen as success for them. Not for a side who set out to win the title or certainly come second.

"They have spent accordingly to win the title, so for them not to qualify for the Champions League is a serious problem, while it would not be for us.

"We don't budget for that - maybe in the future we might - but not at present."

Moyes, who will be without the suspended Lee Carsley at the Stadium of Light, added: "We can't really be expected to finish above Liverpool, they are the favourites.

"So if you'd said to me that with 10 games to go we would be level on points with them and they would only be ahead on goal difference I would have certainly taken that situation.

"I don't even think it is a two-horse race. Aston Villa, Portsmouth, Blackburn and Manchester City can do it. We have been on a terrific run but so have the rest.

"There have not been many defeats for that group so I believe it will go all the way to the wire.

"Maybe somebody can win seven of the 10 and that would put them right in their with a chance.

"We relish the opportunity to try to prove we can be as good or close to the so-called bigger teams. We have done it before, it is not new to us."

But Moyes accepts he has to lift his side after the 2-0 defeat against Fiorentina, with Wednesday's second leg at Goodison Park now a hugely difficult task.

"We didn't do ourselves justice, we did not perform. Fiorentina were better than us and we didn't come up to our usual standards," he said.

"I'm beating myself up over one game but there will not be any moping around. We are straight back into it at Sunderland so we have not got time to be getting ourselves down about things."

Everton conceded two late goals in Italy and Moyes said: "We felt we had weathered much of the storm. We have come good at the end of games in Europe with late goals and we were drifting towards the end.

"I felt we had a night with very poor officials, tackling wasn't allowed and that did not help us at all.

"But we have been on a great run, there's no point continuing to beat ourselves up about it. We have to raise ourselves and get back to what we know we can do."