EPL: Declan Rice Urges Arsenal to Stay Focused

Arsenal drop points, title race tightens

Declan Rice urges Arsenal to ignore outside noise after dropped points at Brentford. Noni Madueke's header cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter as Gunners fail to build on strong start.

“This is a rollercoaster of a season. You can't be naive to think this is going to be easy...”

Declan Rice is telling Arsenal to stay focused and ignore the noise. The Gunners drew 1-1 with Brentford, and Man City's closing in, but Rice knows his team can't get distracted.

“Outside noise is there, we've got to ignore it,” Rice said. City's got the momentum, but Arsenal's got to keep pushing.

City are now just four points behind Mikel Arteta's men and have home advantage when the sides meet in April.

Arsenal's title hopes are still alive, but Manchester City's dramatic comeback win at Liverpool has definitely turned the tide. The Gunners had a nine-point lead just a few days ago, but City's late surge has cut the gap to four points.

Declan Rice is urging his teammates to stay focused and ignore the noise, emphasizing that Arsenal can't afford to get complacent. Mikel Arteta's side will be looking to bounce back from their 1-1 draw with Brentford, but City's momentum could be a game-changer in the title race.

Manchester City is keeping the pressure on Arsenal, beating Fulham 3-0 midweek. Meanwhile, Arsenal dropped points in a 1-1 draw against Brentford, with Noni Madueke's early second-half goal cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter's equalizer. Brentford had chances to win it late on but ultimately settled for a point.

The draw leaves Arsenal four points clear at the top, with City closing in. 

“This is a rollercoaster of a season. You can't be naive to think this is going to be easy,” said England international Rice.

“We are playing against the best teams week in, week out. We have to keep pushing and believing in ourselves, controlling the controllable.

“We have to block out the outside noise. We have done that really well. People are going to talk up the title race, but we have a really calm group.”

‘If you don’t win, DON’T LOSE’ 🗣️

Declan Rice knows Brentford away was always going to be tricky. It’s time to bounce back, says the Englishman.

↳ Premier League. Live & On Demand with 4K on Football’s New Home, Stan Sport. Stream now.#StanSportAU #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/xCMzHpFdAc

— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) February 12, 2026

“I'm not naive to think Brentford are a pushover. They are one of the best teams in the league and their recent form shows that. It's a point gained in our journey, but we wanted to win the game.”

Mikel Arteta expressed frustration with Arsenal's performance, feeling they let control slip away after a strong start to the second half against Brentford. The Gunners took the lead through Noni Madueke's header but conceded an equalizer from Keane Lewis-Potter, ultimately settling for a 1-1 draw. Arteta emphasized the need for his team to be more ruthless, especially in defending set-pieces.

“We lacked composure to maintain the ball better, to play in the right areas. We started to give a lot of unnecessary free-kicks away,” said Arteta.

Arsenal's set-piece strength has been a key factor in their title push, but they struggled against Brentford's dead-ball prowess. The equalizer came from Michael Kayode's long throw, flicked on by Sepp van den Berg for Keane Lewis-Potter to head in.

Mikel Arteta's side had taken the lead through Noni Madueke's header, but Brentford's set-piece tactic caught them off guard. This draw means Arsenal's lead over Manchester City is now just four points, with City closing in.

“They are really good at it, so credit to them as well,” Arteta said.

“They drag you into a game where it's like a casino. Anything can happen and something really bad can happen!”