31 December 2023 , 18:23
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Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has urged his teammates to remain calm following their second loss in four days.
The Gunners were unable to make amends following their defeat against West Ham on Thursday night and succumbed to another reverse at the hands of Fulham to leave their title hopes dented. But Rice stressed there is plenty of time to put things right post-match, saying: “Very disappointing. Not good enough from us again today. We need to demand more from each other. We had to push on again and go for more.
“In this league there is no room to mess up. It is a tough one to take. It is a blip on the road but there is no time to panic. We need to stay positive."
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta admitted Arsenal have to “look at themselves in the mirror” following their devastating defeat at Craven Cottage.
Arteta looked shell shocked as he struggled to explain a wretched performance which he said was their worst of the season and a serious blow to their title chances.
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The Gunners boss said: “We were not at the levels we expect. Painful and a sad day. That’s how I would sum it up. We had the chance to be top of the table after 20 games with the consistency that we’ve shown. We haven’t managed well enough to earn the right to win the game. Three days ago we lost a game that we deserved to win, today was a very different story.
“We weren't good enough. We weren’t good enough in ball possession, we gave too many balls away. We didn't have enough rhythm, enough threat. Defensively we were second best. We could not control the direct play.
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Mikel Arteta cut a frustrated figure following Sunday's match (Getty Images)“It was so easy for them to win that first and second ball and have the opportunity to run. Then we conceded two goals like we did against West Ham and when you do that in this league it’s going to be very difficult to win.
“It didn’t work in the first half or the second half. Throughout 100 minutes we were never at the level to win the game. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror because today’s performance is the worst we have played all season that’s for sure.
“What happened today cannot happen again because if you do that we will never have the chance to be where we want to be. Today could have been a beautiful day to end the year that’s for sure. But these are the margins and you have to try and find the bar.”
Fulham boss Marco Silva said: “It was a top performance. I think we were the best team on the pitch. It’s the best way to finish the year. 2023 has been a great year for Fulham and for us it was so important to finish on a high. The players deserve it.”