“First half is probably the worst we’ve played all season” – Declan Rice admits Arsenal were ‘sloppy’ despite late draw at Chelsea

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice admitted that the Gunners were sloppy during their 2-2 draw against Chelsea on Saturday, October 21. But he went on to hail his side's character for coming back from two-nil down to secure a point.

Mikel Arteta and Co. had a poor start to the game at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea getting a penalty in the 13th minute following a William Saliba handball. Cole Palmer made no mistake from the spot two minutes later to give the Blues the lead.

Arsenal failed to land a shot on target in the entire first half. Chelsea doubled their advantage in the 48th minute through Mykhailo Mudryk. A Robert Sanchez error enabled Rice to draw one back in the 77th minute before Leandro Trossard scored the equalizer seven minutes later.

Rice gave his verdict on Arsenal's performance, telling Sky Sports (via Arseblog):

"I think the first half is probably the worst we’ve played all season, in terms of our sloppiness. Not doing things in our structure, not doing things how we’ve worked on them all week.

"We have to credit Chelsea for how they played but sometimes it’s about that inner belief, that mindset that you can do it and once I got the first – it’s about driving the team on and making sure that everyone believes we can get something here."

The £105 million summer signing added:

"In the end, it’s a positive result from where we’ve come from. We were too sloppy on the ball, even my first pass I gave it away, but in the second half we showed what we’re about and to remain unbeaten it’s massively important."

"...It was a massive team effort and it’s about the team always, and I think today we showed great heart and character."

Arsenal are still unbeaten in the league and are second in the standings with 21 points from nine games, behind leaders Manchester City on goal difference.

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Piers Morgan hails Arsenal's Declan Rice after Chelsea draw

Renowned Arsenal fan and TV presenter Piers Morgan hailed Declan Rice after the 24-year-old had a positive impact in his team's 2-2 draw against Chelsea.

The England international took full advantage of a Robert Sanchez error, scoring an exceptional goal from distance in the 77th minute. He also had a pass accuracy of 88%, made eight recoveries, and won five duels (h/t FotMob).

Morgan tweeted on X (formerly Twitter):

"Once again, this guy was our star. And his candour and honesty in the post match chat was brilliant too."

Rice has been one of the most consistent defensive midfielders in the league since joining Arsenal from West Ham United this summer. He has scored two goals in 12 appearances for his new club so far.