"A tough one to swallow" - Arsenal superstar gutted as Gunners succumb to successive defeats after 1-1 Liverpool draw 

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice expressed his disappointment amid the Gunners' poor run of form.

Mikel Arteta's side headed into Christmas on top of the Premier League table after playing out a 1-1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool on December 23. They followed it up with successive defeats, first losing 2-0 against West Ham United (December 28) at home despite managing 30 attempts, compared to the visitors' six.

Although Arsenal placed eight of those shots on target, they were unable to find a way past West Ham goalie Alphonse Areola. During this fixture, the Gunners also recorded 77 touches in the Hammers' penalty area, the most for a side that has failed to score in the Premier League (via Telegraph).

On December 31, Arteta's men suffered their second successive defeat, a 2-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage. It was a game where the north Londoners failed to control (December 31) the tempo. Although Arsenal enjoyed more possession (61%), they recorded fewer attempts (13 and 15) and shots on target (three and four) as compared to their opponents.

After this run of results, Rice told Sky Sports (via Just Arsenal):

“Very disappointing. Very tough to take. Not good enough again from us today. The last two results have not been what we’ve required or what we’ve been setting over the course of the season."

He added:

"We’ve been performing very well up until the last few games, especially off the back of the draw at Liverpool we felt like we could really kick on. Two defeats, it’s a tough one to swallow."

The Gunners have now slipped to fourth in the Premier League standings, two points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

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Mikel Arteta admits to poor Arsenal performance v Fulham

Mikel Arteta (via Getty Images)

Arsenal are now winless in their last three Premeir League fixtures after suffering a 2-1 loss against Fulham on Sunday (December 31). The Gunners nudged ahead through Bukayo Saka's 5th-minute close-range effort and held on to the lead for about 25 minutes.

Raul Jimenez equalised for the Cottagers following a well-worked move (29'), after which Bobby De Cordova-Reid put them ahead from a set-piece situation (59'). After the game, Arteta said (via the club's official website):

"We weren’t good enough, we simply weren’t good enough in ball possession – we gave so many balls away, we didn’t have enough rhythm, enough purpose, enough threat, and defensively we were second best."

Fulham are 13th in the standings, with 24 points and next face Chelsea on January 13th in the league. The Gunners will host Crystal Palace at the Emirates on January 20th in their next English top-flight match.