Declan Rice has reaffirmed Arsenal’s Premier League title aspirations following their 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday night, which reduced Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table from nine to seven points.
The Gunners delivered a composed performance at the Emirates, with Rice playing a pivotal role in their opening goal.
His precise cross set up Jurrien Timber, who broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half.
United struggled to respond, and Arsenal doubled their lead 20 minutes from time.
William Saliba forced the ball into the net from a corner, with Bukayo Saka’s deep delivery ricocheting off Saliba and Manchester United midfielder Thomas Partey.
The crucial victory kept Arsenal within striking distance of leaders Liverpool, who were held to a draw at Newcastle earlier in the evening.
Although the Reds remain top of the table, Declan Rice remains optimistic about Arsenal’s chances, emphasizing the importance of staying in contention until February.
“This win was massive for us,” Rice said post-match. “We know Liverpool are strong, but if we can keep ourselves within touching distance, we’ll be in a great position to challenge as the season progresses.”
The result highlights Arsenal’s resilience under Mikel Arteta, with the Gunners determined to remain in the race for their first Premier League title since 2004.
“Massive. What a night, Manchester United have a new manager so we knew it would be a test. They’ve looked good the last couple of games. You have to believe in your process, we keep at it all the time,” Rice told Amazon Prime.
“We never get bored. We stuck to the game plan and we could’ve had three or four. When you go up for a corner it’s a time to score, not a time to relax and chill.
“To score both of them from corners, [set-piece coach] Nico [Jover] will be buzzing and I’m so happy.
“It’s more just seeing clips and I know the weight I need to put on the ball and it’s just about repetition.
“I put a few good balls in and could’ve had a couple of assists so it was nice to get one.
“Because of the game schedule it’s hard to practise but it’s repetition, more watching clips at the moment.
“When you have a blip you get written off. We stuck together as a group, we knew the run of results were not good enough, now we’re starting to see a turn of that.
“People get carried away with title talk. You need to be in and around at February time.
“It’s closer [now Liverpool have dropped two points], they’re seven away but we keep believing in ourselves and see what happens.”
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