Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice believes it’s still too early to call what will happen in the Premier League title race after Liverpool’s lead at the top was cut down on Wednesday.
The Reds’ advantage now stands at seven points after they were held to a dramatic 3-3 draw at Newcastle. Arne Slot’s side had looked as though they would hold onto their nine-point lead when Mohamed Salah’s double put them 3-2 ahead, only for Fabian Schar to strike late following a Caoimhin Kelleher mistake.
Their nearest rivals took full advantage as both Chelsea and Arsenal won against Southampton and Manchester United to narrow the gap by two points. Manchester City, meanwhile, is now nine points off the lead after picking up a first win in eight games against Nottingham Forest.
Things don’t get any easier for Liverpool either, with a trip to Everton waiting for them in the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Saturday. The Reds’ rivals will no doubt hope the Toffees can follow up on their 4-0 win over Wolves and add more intrigue in the title race.
And Rice insists there is still plenty of time for Arsenal to challenge Liverpool, despite the Reds still holding a healthy over the Gunners.
“It’s good,” Rice told Amazon Prime Video after being told about Liverpool’s draw at Newcastle. “Look, people get carried away with the title talk, I was involved in my first one last year, and you just need to be in and around it by February time.
“It’s too early to be calling what’s going on. Liverpool have dropped points, it’s closer but it’s still a long way to go, we’ll keep believing in ourselves and see what happens.”
While Liverpool heads to Everton this weekend, City travels to Crystal Palace on Saturday as Pep Guardiola’s side looks to claw their way back into the reckoning in the title race. Both Arsenal and Chelsea play on Sunday, meanwhile, with the Gunners heading to Fulham while the Blues face a tricky encounter at Tottenham.
Liverpool.com says: There’s still a long, long way to go before anything is decided in this title race. Liverpool still holds a healthy advantage, and if you’d offered this position at the start of the season, there isn’t a single supporter who wouldn’t have taken it.
The pressure will be on the Reds though to stay out in front, and injuries certainly won’t help matters. Fingers crossed Slot can get some players back quickly for the second half of the season.