Arsenal top the Premier League table for the first time since being beaten by Brighton & Hove Albion after the win over Liverpool and Manchester City’s drop-off
Declan Rice says Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are all in the Premier League title race with Arsenal this season.
The Gunners are three points clear of City after they lost their last two matches, with Brighton & Hove Albion two points further back in third. Rice did not mention the Seagulls, despite them being the only team to have beaten Arsenal in the league this season.
Chelsea are three points behind Brighton, with Liverpool one more adrift in fifth, despite being the two teams to beat Fabian Hurzeler’s side this term. Rice, though, notably did not name-check the Seagulls.
Speaking after their 1-0 win at Anfield, the midfielder spoke at length about the title race. Rice said: “I think any team who has won here in the past has never had it easy.
“It’s always going to be tough coming to Anfield, so we had to dig in; we had to give it everything because they throw so many attacks at you. We had to be resilient and strong.
“It’s just drilled into us what this manager has built at this club and the togetherness of the lads. You don’t get that performance without the lads being all together.”
“The way the manager has everything under control, the way everyone works towards everything he wants, is not like anything I’ve ever seen before, so credit to us for what we have been doing for the last few years.
“It’s a massive thing to deliver again this year and keep pushing. We’ve set those demands on ourselves, and it’s up to us to keep delivering on them, and this adds to that.
“I’ve learned in this league November means nothing. You have to win as much as you can, and in February or March, if you are there or thereabouts, you are in with a chance.
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“Look at Liverpool. They have secretly gone under the radar; their attack is incredible, and the defence is really good. Man City have started really strong, Chelsea are there or thereabouts, so just keep winning and take each game as it comes and see where it takes us.”
Rice added: “What I’ve learned in this league is that every game is different; no game is plain sailing. It is always going to be tough.
“Looking back at that [Nottingham] Forest game, it wasn’t the best performance, but we ground it out, and we won, and there’s going to be more of that this season. But results like this just make it that extra bit special, so we are delighted.”
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