Declan Rice has revealed that Mikel Arteta told him at the start of the season that he is still capable of giving more to Arsenal, with the midfielder speaking out after setting up the only goal of Sunday's 1-0 win at Liverpool.

Rice, whose form has been a talking point through the opening months of the campaign, discussed the conversation with Sky Sports after the victory at Anfield, and his comments were picked up by several outlets including the Daily Star and the Mirror.

'An honest conversation'

The midfielder described the exchange with his manager as a frank one, and said the message was that his contribution could still grow.

"I think the manager had a really honest conversation with me at the start of the season and still thinks I can do more in this shirt and for this club," Rice told Sky Sports.

Rice added that he has been feeling good across the season to date, and pointed to specific preparation before the Liverpool match as the reason the winning goal came about.

The overlap that decided it

Kai Havertz scored the decisive goal in the 16th minute at Anfield, and the Mirror reports that the finish made him the leading German goalscorer in Premier League history.

Rice explained that the move had been discussed beforehand, and that he and Havertz had talked about arriving in the box with purpose.

"We spoke about overlaps before this game and I spoke to Havertz about attacking the box with real aggression and he was there," Rice told Sky Sports. "He nearly could have had another one with the same action."

For his part, Havertz credited his team-mate, stating: "Ninety percent of the goal belongs to this man." We all know his right foot. Today, he was on hand, producing a brilliant overlap and a perfect cross. In my view, it was a simple tap-in.

Assist tally leads the division

According to Daily Cannon, the pass for Havertz was Rice's fifth assist of the Premier League season, which puts him at the top of the creative standings across the whole division.

The same report notes that all of those assists have come from open play this term, following suggestions that his numbers last season were helped by set-pieces.

Defensive resolve and a trip to Prague

The Mirror reports that Arsenal travelled to Anfield without a win there in more than 14 years, and that they withstood heavy pressure after taking the lead, recording 49 clearances on the night.

The result leaves Arsenal top of the Premier League, three points clear of the side in second place, according to the Mirror.

Rice and his team-mates now turn to European, with an away Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague at the Fortuna Arena on Wednesday evening. Arsenal sit seventh in the Champions League table after two wins and a draw, the most recent of those results coming against Bayern Munich.

Photo: Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.