'Not good enough' - Declan Rice insists Arsenal 'don't get involved' in title talk after slipping to second successive defeat at Fulham

The 24-year-old England international has claimed he doesn't look at the Premier League table after his side were unable to secure all three points against Fulham at Craven Cottage, while also admitting that the Gunners were well short of their best.

Rice acknowledged reports that had tipped Arsenal for the title this year, after leading the league for the majority of last season, but insisted the dressing room are not paying attention to any outside distractions.

Speaking after the 2-1 defeat at Fulham, Rice said to Sky Sports: "Very disappointing. It’s very tough to take and not good enough from us again today. [But] to be honest, I don’t really look at the table. There are a lot of media who talk and say Arsenal are going to win the league this year and we are better this year, but we don’t get involved in that. We just try to take everything as it comes, one by one.

"We’ve been doing really well, we have been at the top of the table and that is where we want to be, it’s a blip in the road but there is no time to panic. There are still so many games to go and we have to stay positive, there is no time to be negative. We have a great manager, great players and we will keep going."

Mikel Arteta's side have now dropped to fourth place in the Premier League table, with Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool all above them as things stand.

The Gunners have lost back-to-back fixtures in the Premier League, following a 2-0 defeat to West Ham United just three days ago, which has allowed their main title rivals to leap-frog them in the table.

Arsenal now have to prepare for a tough FA Cup clash against Liverpool next weekend, which will be followed by a two-week break. Arteta's men will resume their Premier League season when they host Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on January 20 as they look to get back to winning ways.