Arsenal's first month of 2024 has been less than stellar, as the North London side were leapfrogged by both Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
They've spent most of the last five weeks just trying not to lose ground as Liverpool continued to win against all challengers and City once again announced themselves as genuine contenders.
Sunday provided an opportunity for the Gunners to turn things around and put themselves right back into the thick of the title race as they hosted Liverpool in a massive encounter, and they did just that as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners thanks to an emphatic performance at the Emirates.
The result means Arsenal are just two points back of the league leaders, breathing life back into a campaign that had been sputtering.
For Declan Rice, who joined the club in a big-money move over the summer, the team put their overall struggles in the back of their mind and instead focused on the result at hand.
"We knew the importance of the game today, the small margins of football and the gap would have either come bigger or smaller," Rice told Sky Sports.
"The only focus from everyone was to win and get three points.
"From start to finish it has been really positive and I think you could feel that today."
Sunday's match was not without adversity for the North Londoners as an own goal at the stroke of halftime seemed to undo a brilliant opening 45 minutes. However, Rice credits his teammates for ignoring the setback and getting the job done.
"It was a kick in the teeth to concede, but we knew we had a good 45 minutes [in the first half] and we had to go out there and give everything," he said.
"Of course when you are competing for titles they will tell you every game is so important.
"To do it in the way we did that is the thing we live for."
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