Even after defeating Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal’s Declan Rice expressed regret over missed opportunities to score more goals.
Arsenal secured a crucial three points by beating Tottenham Hotspur, keeping their title hopes alive, as declared by an elated Mikel Arteta. However, midfielder Declan Rice wasn’t fully satisfied, believing his team should have scored many more goals.
In Wednesday’s Premier League clash, Arsenal fell behind in the 25th minute at home. They quickly recovered, leading 2-1 by halftime. Despite dominating and creating several chances, they couldn’t find the net in the second half.
Arteta made several adjustments after the break to extend the lead, and while the opportunities came, Arsenal failed to convert them.
Rice voiced his frustration after the match, saying, “It feels like we should’ve scored 10 goals. From the very first minute to the end of the first half, it was complete dominance. Yes, you could call it a derby, but we controlled it.”
Before this win, Arsenal had faced a string of disappointing results: a penalty shootout loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup third round, a defeat to Newcastle United in the first leg of the League Cup semifinals, and a draw against Brentford in their most recent league match. The victory against Tottenham was much-needed to regain momentum.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Rice explained that extra motivation wasn’t required for a game against Spurs.
“You don’t need extra messages to get fired up for a match against Spurs. If you can’t step up for this game, then you shouldn’t be playing football. The only frustrating part is that we could’ve scored at least five or six more goals,” he said.
Acknowledging the psychological challenges his team faced, Arteta stated after the match that Arsenal had firmly re-entered the title race.
Still, Liverpool remains ahead in the standings, with 47 points from 20 matches. Arsenal sits in second place with 43 points, having played one additional match.
