'It's not done' - Arsenal back up Rice's words with crucial win
Pictures of Declan Rice saying "it's not done" went viral in the aftermath of Arsenal 's defeat by Manchester City last week - and the Gunners proved him right by putting the pressure back on their rivals in the Premier League title race. Eberechi Eze's excellent strike was enough to secure a crucial 1-0 win over Newcastle to move them three points clear of Manchester City in the opening exchanges of what, after the loss to Pep Guardiola's side last week, Mikel Arteta called "a new league". "I'm really happy for the win," Arteta said.
"We talked about 'game one' and how important that was. We did the job. "We had to do what was in our hands and we discussed that.
"Game one is in our hands, what we do and how we approach the game. Are we able to win it? We've done it.
We wanted bigger margins. It's not been possible but we certainly have done the job. " City's win over Burnley in midweek meant Arsenal slipped to second place for the first time since October, with the two teams level on points and goal difference but Guardiola's side top by virtue of goals scored.
That put a huge amount of pressure on an Arsenal side coming into the game with Newcastle after back-to-back defeats for the first time this season. The relief of ending that run with victory was visible as players fell to the floor on hearing the final whistle. And looking ahead to the four league games to go, Arteta said he was ready to deal with the pressure of attempting to end the club's long wait for the title.