Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has praised the attacking performance of his teammates in the north London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur, saying they could have scored 10 goals in the 2-1 triumph.
Mikel Arteta’s team came from behind to beat Spurs in a typically entertaining contest at Emirates Stadium, with all three goals coming in a first half that saw the visitors take the lead before a four-minute salvo saw an own goal from Dominic Solanke and a low drive from Leandro Trossard put Arsenal ahead.
Arsenal spurned several chances in the second half to extend their lead, and speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Rice said the win could have been considerably more comfortable and added that he needed no extra motivation for the game against his team’s biggest rivals.
“We are unlucky we didn’t score 10, that’s the feeling,” the England international said. “We don’t need a message, playing Spurs, if you can’t get up for that then you shouldn’t be playing football. We could have had another five or six and that is the disappointing thing.
“Tonight meant more than anything. From the first minute, the first 45 was pure domination, you can tell it was a derby.”
Arsenal are now four points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Spurs, meanwhile, are languishing in 13th after suffering their 11th Premier League defeat in 21 games this term.