Declan Rice has made it clear to his Arsenal team-mates that they won't be handed the Premier League title after the squad held some "firm" chats in the wake of their draw at Wolves.

The Gunners let a two-goal lead slip at Molineux on Wednesday night with the league's basement side scoring their equaliser in the 94th minute. It means the gap at the top can shrink further with Arsenal in the midst of a run of two wins in seven games.

Pressure is on the north Londoners to get over the line following three successive seasons in second place. They have been top of the pile for much of the campaign but Manchester City appear a coming force.

Pep Guardiola's side have chased them down in recent years and can close to within two points if they do win their game in hand. They also play before Arsenal this weekend with Rice giving his colleagues a frank reminder of the challenge that faces them.

He told The Sun: “We’re not going to be handed it, we need to go and win it, we need to deserve it and we need to be ready for anything that is thrown at us.

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"We spoke to each other in a firm way after Wolves, we knew we’d let ourselves and the fans down after being in such a good position. Letting it slip is not the standards that we have set ourselves this season. We had a team meeting and we are ready to go again.”

Mikel Arteta honoured the players’ day off on Thursday despite Arsenal’s below par showing and disappointment at Wolves. There is a fear among the fanbase that another trophy chance could slip from their grasp, but Rice insists the whole club needs to rally together in the final months.

The midfielder said: “At this stage of the season we need the supporters with us more than ever. We’ve come this far together. Now is not the time to be turning against each other. We need everyone on the same page, same path, keep fighting (as fans) for these players, for this club. Keep believing in us, keep pushing us and hopefully we can bring some special things with everyone’s help. So let’s keep going.”

City need to travel to the Etihad on April 18 and will also face the Manchester outfit in next month’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley - which presents the first chance for a piece of silverware.

"There is a long way to go, there’s still a lot to be positive about, there’s perspective here," said the Arsenal midfielder. "We’re still having an amazing season and we can’t let any outside noise disturb that."

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