Everton captain Phil Jagielka believes that a lack of killer instinct in front of goal could cost them in the race for the Champions League places.

The Blues are currently five points behind local rivals Liverpool in the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Roberto Martinez's side have struggled in the absence of Romelu Lukaku, and Jagielka admits that the Belgium international's injury could prove disastrous.

Jagielka told the Liverpool Echo: "We're struggling a little bit at the moment. Lacina Traore is not quite right yet and it's difficult because although we played some good stuff, we were perhaps missing that fox in the box or target man to get us the goal.

"It's frustrating and at the least, we should probably have kept a clean sheet and come away with 0-0 but we didn't.

"It's going to be a little bit harder for us now. There are other teams in the mix for fourth. If we'd beaten Spurs, we'd have pushed on a little bit, but there are still 13 games left and a lot of points to play for."

Martinez's men host Crystal Palace on Wednesday.