Declan Rice believes Arsenal’s hard-fought 1-1 draw against Brentford could prove significant when the title race reaches its climax.
The Gunners left west London with a share of the spoils after Noni Madueke’s superb second-half header was cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter at the Gtech Community Stadium.
From there, the contest opened up into a breathless finale, with both sides pushing for a late winner but ultimately forced to settle for a point.
Despite frustration at not seeing the game out, Rice struck a measured tone post-match, highlighting the quality of the opposition and the broader context of Arsenal’s campaign.
“We weren’t naive to think that this was going to be a pushover,” he said. “They’re an amazing team, they’re seventh in the league and Keith Andrews has got them playing really, really well. They’re so effective at how they play, and we prepared for that. We knew what was coming.
“It might be a valuable point towards the end. The only thing we can do is just keep worrying about ourselves like we’ve been doing.
“We’ve been on an amazing run this season, the performances have been incredible. If you look at the amount of games we’ve played and how many we’ve won, we’ve lost three in all competitions all season.
“So let’s take the positives, keep going, keep pushing, keep sticking together. Everyone’s needed on this road to the end. There’s a long way to go but we’re positive.”
After a cagey opening period, the tempo shifted dramatically in the second half. Arsenal seized control and deservedly went ahead, yet Brentford responded strongly to swing momentum back in their favour. Rice acknowledged the ebb and flow that defined the encounter.
“It was a really tough game,” Rice thought. “They probably had the first 20 minutes, we then probably had the next 25 and ended the first half really well.
“Then we started the second half really well, got the goal which was fully deserved, and then they probably had the last 25 minutes. So it was split into different stages, and could have probably gone either way at the end.
“We really wanted to win, we wanted to stamp our authority on it, but in the end we have to take the point and move forward.
“We have to keep going. We’ve played a lot of games this season, and we’ve got to keep staying mentally refreshed, physically refreshed. Now we move on to the next game, so got to keep going.”
The draw trims Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to four points following Manchester City’s victory over Fulham, yet the bigger picture remains firmly in the Gunners’ favour.
With silverware still up for grabs on multiple fronts, focus now shifts swiftly to the FA Cup clash against Wigan Athletic.
As Rice emphasised, unity and resilience will be key in the decisive months ahead. In a campaign built on consistency and togetherness, every squad member has a role to play in what promises to be a gripping run-in.
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