Declan Rice says Arsenal were ‘unlucky not to score TEN’ against Tottenham – after Gunners’ comeback win moved them to four points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool
- Arsenal recorded a huge victory thanks to two goals in the space of four minutes
- Son Heung-min had given Spurs the lead before the Gunners fought back
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Declan Rice believes Arsenal should have given Tottenham a historic safe house given the number of chances they created against their north London rivals.
Mikel Arteta’s side recorded a crucial 2-1 victory to move within four points of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
But on a nerve-wracking evening in the Emirates, the result could have been secured long before the final whistle.
The Gunners missed four big chances and recorded fourteen shots against Ange Postecoglou’s team, but only forced derby debutant Antonin Kinksy to make one save.
Rice revealed the feeling among the Arsenal players after the match, which could be a catalyst for a title charge in the second half of the campaign.
“Tonight meant more than anything,” he told TNT Sports. ‘From the first minute the first 45 was pure dominance, you can tell it was a derby.
Declan Rice believes Arsenal should have scored a lot more than the two they scored against Tottenham
The Gunners came from behind to record a 2-1 win over their North London rivals at the Emirates
Mikel Arteta’s team moved to within three points of Premier League leaders Liverpool after the result
‘We are unlucky not to have scored ten, that is the feeling. We don’t need a message when we play Spurs, if you can’t stand up for that hen then you shouldn’t be playing football. We could have had another five or six and that’s disappointing.”
Some of Arsenal’s missed chances were down to superb final defending against a depleted Spurs backline, but questions remain about their ruthlessness up front in their bid to track down Liverpool.
Raheem Sterling was handed a rare start by Arteta on the right flank in place of Gabriel Martinelli, but the on-loan Chelsea man did little to strengthen his case for future inclusion.
Arsenal came into the match rocked by the news that Gabriel Jesus will miss the rest of the season after suffering an ACL injury in their FA Cup third round defeat to Manchester United.
The Brazilian is the latest striker to suffer a long-term problem following injuries to Bukayo Saka and youngster Ethan Nwaneri.
Arsenal players paid tribute to Jesus before kick-off in the Emirates wearing shirts with his name on them.
