Declan Rice advises Arsenal to stay focused amid reduced title advantage.

Declan Rice has encouraged Arsenal to “ignore the external distractions” while emphasizing the importance of remaining composed after the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points slipped away with a 1-1 draw against Brentford.

Noni Madueke’s header in the 61st minute put the Gunners ahead at Gtech Community Stadium, but Keane Lewis-Potter equalized just ten minutes later, leaving Arsenal with a four-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City.

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This marks a notable shift in the title race, as Arsenal was poised for a nine-point lead before City rallied to defeat Liverpool at Anfield and followed up with a 3-0 victory over Fulham on Wednesday.

Arsenal struggled to overcome a determined Brentford team that is having a strong season under Keith Andrews, resulting in their record now standing at just two wins from six matches.

The Gunners aim to break a streak of three consecutive second-place finishes as they pursue their first league title since 2004.

“Throughout this journey, you will never maintain peak performance for 70 matches in a season, but you must strive to be your best,” Rice stated. “The finer points, the fundamentals. This season is a rollercoaster. One cannot be naive enough to believe it will be straightforward.

“We face the top teams week after week. We must continue to push ourselves and have faith, focusing on what we can control.

“We need to disregard the external distractions. We have managed that quite effectively. While discussions about the title race and Arsenal will persist, we possess a very composed group.

“I am not naive enough to consider Brentford an easy opponent. They are among the top teams in the league, and their recent performance reflects that. It’s a point gained in our journey, but we aimed to secure a victory.”