"He's that good" - Pundit feels Liverpool would win Premier League title if Arsenal star played for them
Former Liverpool star Danny Murphy believes the Reds are guaranteed a Premier League title if they sign Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice. The pundit lavished praise on the England international for his performance against the Merseysiders in their 1-1 draw last weekend.
During the match, Rice managed to maintain an 88% pass accuracy, making 11 passes into the final third. Defensively, the Arsenal midfielder had eight recoveries, five clearances, and two successful tackles (via FotMob).
Praising Rice's performance over the weekend, Murphy wrote on Daily Mail:
“If there’s any young holding midfielder out there who wants to learn how to improve every aspect of their game, watch this [Liverpool vs Arsenal] match and follow Declan Rice. This game showed me just how important Rice — and also William Saliba — are for Mikel Arteta."
He added:
"They are the two players he cannot do without if they are going to win the Premier League. With those two players in the side, they can get a result anywhere."
Murphy stated that Liverpool are in dire need of a player like him, despite their substantial spend in the midfield department in the summer. The pundit added:
“It also made me realise how much Liverpool need a player like him. If Rice wore a Liverpool shirt, I think they win the title. He’s that good.”
Jurgen Klopp's side are currently second in the league table, a point behind leaders Arsenal. Both teams have been in great form this season, with only three losses between them so far.
Former Premier League referee analyzes potential Arsenal handball against Liverpool
The Gunners and the Merseysiders were engaged in a tightly contested encounter that saw shared possession and 13 shots from each side. Gabriel Magalhaes opened the scoring for his side within just four minutes and Mohamed Salah equalized for the Reds just before the half-hour mark.
During the first half, Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard's hand came into contact with the ball inside the box when Salah tried to get past the Norwegian. However, a VAR review found no evidence of a handball and the game went on.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher has now weighed in on the situation. While understanding the officiating team's decision, he believes a penalty should have been awarded.
Gallagher said (via The Mirror):
"I do agree (that a penalty should have been awarded). When I first saw it, I thought he was slipping. I can understand the referee on the pitch not giving it."
Although it is hard to say for certain whether the outcome of the game would have changed if the penalty was awarded, the incident does continue to fuel the already raging debate for and against the VAR system.