Declan Rice makes worrying title admission as Arsenal's mistake become clearer

Arsenal are 12 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after their 2-1 win over Fulham and midfielder Declan Rice has conceded they have dropped too many points - but the England star remains upbeat over the team's prospects for the rest of the season

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has admitted the Gunners have "slipped up too many times" this season but vowed to keep putting pressure on Liverpool until the end of the season. Mikel Arteta's men have fallen away in the title race after Liverpool racked up a 15-point lead before the international break, which has now been reduced to 12 after the team's 2-1 win over Fulham.

Liverpool can still restore their advantage if they beat rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby on Wednesday night and take a step closer to their first title since 2020.

But Rice insists the team are unaffected by Liverpool's sizeable lead at the top of the table, saying they are focused on controlling the controllables by winning as many games as possible.

He conceded Arsenal had dropped too many points after drawing ten games and losing three, but vowed to keep "hunting down" the Reds. "We know we’re behind them in the league," he told BBC Sport. "We can only control what we can do and that’s to win our eight games.

"We’ve slipped up one too many times this season, we will keep hunting them down and keep putting pressure on them that’s all we can do."

Rice has been a near ever-present for Arsenal this season, starting 26 out of 30 Premier League games. In all competitions, he has played 41 times, scoring five and assisting eight.

The England star will also have one eye on the Champions League as Arsenal prepare for a daunting two-legged tie against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals.

Rice insists the team must have "full belief" they can achieve things this season and possibly even win the Champions League. He said the chance to go down in history was something that was driving the team.

"Until the season's over, we need to have full belief as a group, as a team, as a fan base that we can still achieve great things,” he told the club's official website. "We also have an amazing chance to create history in terms of being the first Arsenal team to lift the Champions League.

"I think that in itself is driving us, it's pushing us, the coaches are pushing that demand on us as well as the Premier League. We can go down in history books at this club and we have been presented with a lovely chance against Real Madrid, one of the best teams in the world. So, yes, exciting times.

"It's been tough this year, but there's still some positivity that can come out of it. So, stick with us, keep believing and I think good things are going to happen for this club."

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