Arsenal players seen arguing on the pitch in Fulham defeat but Declan Rice insists 2023 not ruined

Arsenal frustrations were clear to see in their 2-1 defeat at Fulham, but Declan Rice says they’re looking to go above and beyond in 2024.

The Gunners failed to finish 2023 at the top of the Premier League as they fell to a second consecutive loss on New Year’s Eve.

Bukayo Saka put Arsenal ahead but goals from Raul Jimenez and Bobby Decordova-Reid ensured Fulham won all three points.

Arsenal’s latest defeat follows their 2-0 loss at home against West Ham and they now sit fourth in the table having sat top at Christmas.

During the second half, Rice and Gabriel appeared to argue with each other as Fulham began to emerge as the stronger side.

Decordova-Reid’s decisive goal came just moments later as Arsenal end 2023 on a whimper.

Such a result could certainly affect their chances in this season’s title race but Rice is still confident they will remain as challengers.

“Like every season, there’s always so much talk surrounding Arsenal all the time,” he told beIN SPORTS after the match.

“I don’t get involved, neither do the players, it’s about what we can control and winning football matches. We obviously haven’t done that in the last two games and it’s not ideal but there’s still a long, long way to go in the Premier League.

“There’s still 18 more games, we’re such a good side, we’re not going to let this put us down.

“Obviously we’ve let the fans down today, we let ourselves down with the performance but overall, 2023 has been positive for Arsenal and we’re looking to go one step further in 2024 and stay on it.”

Arsenal have won just one of their last six matches across all competitions, a 2-0 victory at home to Brighton.

Premier League defeats against Aston Villa, West Ham and now Fulham mean they have missed the chance to take a commanding lead at the top.

The Gunners narrowly missed out on the title last season and if recent form was to persist, then they could suffer the same fate again.