Rice: Arteta believes I can do more; Winning at anfield is special

In the 9th round of the Premier League, Arsenal defeated Liverpool 1-0 away, conquering Anfield in the Premier League again after 14 years. After the match, Rice, who provided the assist for the winning goal, accepted an interview.

Host: Great to see you, fantastic game. How do you feel? You just told us this was your first ever win here, I can hardly believe it.

Rice: Yes, it's my first ever win at Anfield. So it's an incredibly important victory, for me personally, and even more so for the whole team and the entire club. Arsenal hadn't won here in 14 years.

So to come here today and deliver such a response – as I told you before the live broadcast, after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Liverpool, this victory means a lot to the club today. So, we are really, really happy.

Host: Liverpool somehow managed zero shots on target today. But that also has to be credited to Arsenal; your resolute and decisive defensive performance was once again crucial. It seemed like every critical ball today saw an Arsenal player throw themselves in front of it.

Rice: Yes, that comes from the hard work our backline puts in day in and day out. I see it every day; they train as if every session is their last. They block shots, defense means a lot to them. The reason we get so many clean sheets is because the back four, midfield, and forwards are tightly connected and in sync on the field. Everyone is fully committed to defending, everyone craves a clean sheet.

And after last season, everyone knows what such an excellent defense can bring, it can help us contend for the title. I think this year we have further strengthened our defense on that foundation, which is definitely a huge positive sign.

Alan Shearer: We also heard you say earlier that you talked with the manager about making some slight adjustments in the game to get forward more and participate in the attack. That assist today was a perfect example, an overlapping run. How did you two communicate at the time?

Rice: Actually, the manager just told me that while I've been performing very, very well here for the first three years, he still believes I can do more. He firmly believes I have the ability to create more threats in the attacking third. Two or three years ago, I probably wouldn't have made that overlapping run today. As a number six defensive midfielder, I would most likely have stayed behind the ball, guarding against counterattacks.

But today I saw the space ahead. For the opposing full-back, that kind of ball is too hard to defend – he has to choose between blocking the winger or tracking me. In the end, Madueke's pass was perfectly weighted, with perfect pace and technique, and I swept it across the goalmouth. As a striker, you know very well that this is the kind of ball strikers love most, so Kai (Havertz) was thrilled after tapping it in.

Alan Shearer: But you prefer to play like this, right? You really enjoy this feeling, because in terms of getting forward to attack, you've done quite well.

Rice: Yes, this is definitely an ability I can further develop. To judge the situation in the game, realizing the score was 0-0 at the time, we had nothing to lose, and the ball was already at the edge of the opponent's penalty area. With Timber not overlapping, there was space in the attacking third for me to run into. I'm really happy to be able to make such a play and get an assist.

Alan Shearer: That was a pass that was incredibly difficult for defenders and goalkeepers, but a dream cross for a striker. As the crosser, all you have to do is put the ball into the most dangerous area and wait for teammates to get there.

Rice: Yes, just get the ball into that dangerous area. Over the past few years, De Bruyne has been the best at this; you've seen countless times how he sweeps the ball across the box with such runs. This kind of ball is extremely difficult to defend, anything can happen. So, I'm very happy to have made this assist today.

Walcott: Declan, you mentioned the team's determination and energy in defense. But how do you find the balance between defending and pushing forward to attack? How do you communicate on the pitch? Because there are many leaders in the squad. For you personally, what do you mainly shout to your teammates during the game? Because you were indeed under immense pressure in the first half, and although you contained Liverpool, how did the whole team remind each other on the pitch?

Rice: The core is to maintain a positive mindset. I think we played pretty well in the first 25 minutes; we built up from the back smoothly, found spaces very precisely, Martinelli repeatedly got on the ball, and our progression was very successful. But as you said, from about the 25th to 30th minute, facing their man-marking press, we started trying long balls. As a result, they kept winning the second balls and then launched wave after wave of fierce attacks. It was indeed tough, because you want to push forward and take the fight to their half, but against Liverpool's top quality, they are fully capable of pinning you back.

At halftime, we reminded each other to stay calm. The situation wasn't as bad as it seemed; we were still leading 1-0. In the second half, all we needed to do was withstand the pressure, grit our teeth, and seize opportunities to create threats on the counter-attack, because we knew what to expect when playing at Anfield.

Host: But it seems you actually quite enjoy these tough battles, don't you?

Rice: Yes, although it's tough. We all know what we'll encounter at Anfield; they can create danger at any moment. So you have to hold on, grit your teeth and keep going. Even the top teams in recent years have never had an easy time here, let alone winning games. This must be credited to Liverpool, to everything they've built and the atmosphere of this stadium. Every time we come here...

Walcott: Like a carpet repeatedly vacuumed!

Rice: Exactly, it will swallow you whole! I've been on the receiving end of frustrations here many times in the past, so I'm especially happy to achieve a clean sheet here today.

Host: You have every reason to be proud. Thank you very much for the interview.

Rice: Thank you all.