Positives & negatives from Arsenal's 2-2 draw vs. Aston Villa

Positive #2: Declan Rice not giving up the fight

Showing fight when it gets tough is the least Arsenal can expect from a £105-million midfielder, but Declan Rice isn't about to give up the title challenge. He should be commended for working hard to push Villa back after Watkins' decisive finish.

Rice carried the fight in search of what proved to be an elusive winner with typically powerful breaks from deep. He might have snatched the winner himself, courtesy of a curled effort from just outside the box that sailed a whisker wide.

Not deterred by the miss, the England international never went into hiding. He wanted the ball and did his best to thread passes between the lines.

Unlocking packed defences isn't Rice's forte, but his application once the game had swung in the wrong direction set an example every teammate must follow if the Gunners are going to salvage this season.

Negative #2: Thomas Partey and Mikel Merino

It's hard to live up to a description as a defensive midfielder when you can't defend. Thomas Partey couldn't when he hit the snooze button just long enough for Watkins to dart into space and volley in the equaliser.

This was the most costly lapse during a performance littered with mistakes. Partey rarely used the ball with any guile or efficiency, while he looked woefully off the pace whenever Villa broke.

If there's a small crumb of comfort for Partey, he wasn't alone in undermining Arsenal's midfield and leaving those at the back overly exposed. Not when Merino was almost as bad in every phase.

The physical aerial monster Arsenal hardly needed after Arteta shipped out playmakers Emile Smith Rowe and Fabio Vieira, lurched through another unconvincing display. Merino couldn't offer isolated chance-creator Martin Odegaard the support he needs, and nor could Partey's partner stay strong defensively.

Merino's passive reaction to Tielemans' run yielded Villa's first goal. Like Partey, Merino rarely moved swiftly or freely in space.

They both contributed to a midfield lacking balance, a problem not shared by the league leaders.

Negative #3: Liverpool can seize control of the title race

Arsenal would have kept the pressure on by maintaining that 2-0 lead. Sure, Liverpool would still be four points clear and with a game in hand, but the margin for error would have been less.

That's no small edge for the chasing pack. Especially when Liverpool are dealing with uncertain futures regarding core trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk.

There's also the matter of Liverpool's spare game being away to Everton. Granted, the Toffees are in a perpetually woeful state, but this still a derby and the hosts could be due a new manager bounce (of sorts) from the return of David Moyes.

These may sound like flimsy reasons for optimism, but Arsenal needs to keep hope alive. A task that will become all the more difficult if a Liverpool team solid in all three areas of the pitch is nine points or more clear by mid-February.

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