Declan Rice’s critics, skeptics and non-believers (because this is football and there should always be critics) have accused him of missing games in the past. Not here.
Rice must have hated this game at times. Or at least he must have felt like he could barely breathe during those periods when he was playing three or four positions at once, always on edge, always under pressure, trying to fill the roles of defensive shield, ball carrier, second left. At the back, rondo leader among centre-halves.
Relating to: Salah’s stunning strike earned Liverpool a draw but Arsenal remained top
It didn’t help that he did all this in a match that played out like an extended version of one of those playground murderball games, with everyone running outside at Skittles, desperately searching for air, and crashing into each other until the buzzer rang. Again.
But it made for good fun. Arsenal were resilient at Anfield. Liverpool played on a pitch of impressive sustained fury. A 1-1 draw is a good result for everyone at the top, right down to the best team in the world who are currently in fifth place.
At the end of the match, there was talk about Mo Salah’s great goal and Arsenal’s centre-backs. But Rice was the key player on the field; He played the rhythm, the lead, the elbow drum, the mouth organ, and clicked the cymbals between his knees; It was absolutely vital to Arsenal’s ability to withstand Anfield’s storm front.
If they had played this role with a less adaptable, less quality midfielder, they would have lost this match. And it is clear that Rice is key to Arsenal’s ability to maintain the momentum that has seen them top the table at Christmas, having won 10 of the last 14 titles. But there was also a note of caution here; Image of a football player in hyperextension. Is it sustainable?
A very important and funny moment occurred in the 71st minute. Arsenal lost the ball in the corner. Liverpool took off at a furious pace, with the five red shirts running side by side like they were in the 60 meters final at the world indoor championships. Rice, of course, was the only yellow shirt to return to cover the infractions. When faced with this, he did almost everything at once; He was pedaling backwards, running forward, feinting sideways, circling his arms, doing a kind of one-man defensive solstice dance.
The ball went towards Trent Alexander‑Arnold, who sent the ball over the crossbar. But these moments, not the heroics alone, not the football version of the battle of Thermopylae, will vex Mikel Arteta, who craves control.
Rice did not win the official man of the match award but did win for Arsenal it was sometimes match. His numbers tell part of the story. Five permits. Four tackles. Ninety touches, miles more than any other midfielder; Nearly all of Rice’s touches were under pressure; Liverpool pressed brilliantly after the first 20 minutes and forced Arsenal to struggle to clear the ball in their own half.
Usually pass completion statistics mean little, but Rice’s 88% here was testament to supreme composure in the face of that fury. Finally, Jürgen Klopp appeared in front of him and hugged him, caressed his neck and pulled his ear. Klopp does this to everyone, of course, and would probably have done it to corner flags too if his assistants hadn’t pushed him away. But he knew how well Rice was playing and knew that without him Liverpool would probably have won.
Covering the entirety of a deep midfield is a rare gift. But despite Martin Ødegaard’s ability to adapt and Kai Havertz being better at doing Kai Havertz’s work, Arsenal missed the opportunity to put Thomas Partey alongside Rice in matches like this. This pairing will definitely be needed as the season winds down.
Here, Arteta chose the same starting 11 for the third league match in a row. Klopp replaced the master of chaos, Darwin Núñez, with the more organized Cody Gakpo. And Arsenal started like a four-litre saloon, shifting into high gear, pressing with real fire and scoring four minutes from time from another set-piece. Gabriel Magalhäes’ header was a powerful, neck-thrusting strike, the timing of the bounce such that Alisson could only swing in empty air.
Liverpool backed down. Anfield began to bubble and roar and send those familiar waves of noise around the stands. The equalizer came from Alexander-Arnold’s superb pass and the ball howled across the night sky in a low, flat arc towards Salah’s path. He walked through Oleksandr Zinchenko as if he were a pile of wet leaves, then pressed the hammer and slotted the ball over David Raya.
Liverpool started to take over the midfield. For a while, Zinchenko appeared to be playing with Heely shoes every time he approached Salah. But in the end it felt like a good point and a good moment for Arsenal to be at the top as well. The quick midfield play was encouraging. The defenders are truly excellent. And Rice was always there, always on edge, almost in control of these central areas. All this will bring them closer. Is it enough?
Arsenal were also top of the league at Christmas last year and were five points ahead of City with a 10-point lead at the end of May. A few things have changed since then. City have yet to reach the same level of form. Arsenal beat them this season. Best of all, they have Rice; Although the lesson from Anfield was that he could use some help there.