‘Fight for us’ – Declan Rice begs Arsenal fans to stop in-fighting and get behind title quest

Declan Rice has called for unity among Arsenal’s fanbase ahead of a tense Premier League title run-in.

The Gunners sit five points ahead of Manchester City having played a game more than Pep Guardiola’s men.

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Arsenal squandered the opportunity to increase their lead at the top of the table by conceding two late goals to draw 2-2 at bottom club Wolves on Wednesday.

The result sparked backlash from sections of the club’s support with some now fearing a cataclysmic collapse with 11 games remaining.

Next up for the Gunners is the unpredictability of a high-octane north London derby at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs are without a win in their last eight league games but the recent arrival of interim head coach Igor Tudor and the opportunity to derail Arsenal’s title bid could make the match a more evenly-fought affair than expected.

With tensions high in the stands and some fans at loggerheads over the future of boss Mikel Arteta, Rice has called on Arsenal fans to unite as they bid to end a 22-year title drought.

“At this stage of the season we need the supporters with us more than ever,” Rice told The Sun. “We’ve come this far together. Now is not the time to be turning against each other.

“We need everyone on the same page, same path, keep fighting (as fans) for these players, for this club.

“Keep believing in us, keep pushing us and hopefully we can bring some special things with everyone’s help. So let’s keep going.”

The games are coming thick and fast for Rice and co.

The Gunners still retain the possibility of landing an unprecedented quadruple starting with next month’s Carabao Cup final against title challengers Manchester City.

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City can close the gap on Arsenal to two points ahead of Sunday’s derby with victory at Newcastle on Saturday evening.

Guardiola’s side welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium in a title showdown on April 18 and it is hoped that the draw at Molineux will not be a deciding factor in the destination of the title.

Rice said: “The north London derby is the perfect game to respond to that. It’s a massive game, one that is going to be massive in our season.

“There is a long way to go, there’s still a lot to be positive about, there’s perspective here.

“We’re still having an amazing season and we can’t let any outside noise disturb that.

“When we say about mentality, we’ve shown unbelievable mentality all season to be where we are, we aren’t going to let anything get in the way of that.”

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He added: “We don’t need to have a conversation in terms of what the derby means to the club, the fans, the players know that.

“It’s not just about how you play, it’s about how many duels you’re going to win, how much you want to win for this team and this club. We’re going to be ready.

“We believe we have a squad to win every game, the mindset and the mentality is there. Look at this season, we’ve lost three games in all competitions, that’s it.

“It’s never going to be easy if we are going to win our first league title in 22 years.”

Asked what a win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would mean to him, Rice said: “It would be massive.

“I was suspended for the last north London derby [at Tottenham].

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“I’ve only played in one at Tottenham and all the rest have come at the Emirates.

“It’s fiery. My first experience of the one at White Hart Lane was… that was a lot.

“We were 3-0 up and they got back to 3-2. And you’re thinking: ‘Oh, where can this go here?’

“But just the crowd, the energy, you can just sense it. It’s different on a north London derby day.

“We’ve done quite well in them in recent years, so we’ve got to keep going.

“But it’s going to be a tough game because they’re going to want to beat us after the last time we played them. They didn’t really have a fully fit squad.

“I’m sure they’re going to be ready, raring to go, so we’re going to be up for it.”