Jamie Carragher hailed Declan Rice as the ‘best midfielder in the country by a long way’ after Arsenal’s hard-fought win over Liverpool.

Kai Havertz scored the only goal at Anfield, tapping in at the back-post from Rice’s brilliant pass across goal.

Both teams had chances to score after Havertz’s opener but the game finished 1-0 as Arsenal moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League and Liverpool failed to climb back into the Champions League spots.

Rice was named Player of the Match after Arsenal’s battling victory and Carragher agreed with that decision, hailing him as not only the best midfielder in the Premier League but one of the greatest in the club’s history.

‘He’s the best midfield player in the Premier League by a long way. It’s not even a debate,’ Carragher said on Sky Sports.

‘Declan Rice is the best midfield player in this country. I’m not an Arsenal fan, but sometimes I hear people speak about him.

‘And I’m sort of flabbergasted that they don’t understand football and they’re not watching the same game as me.

‘He’s a world-class midfield player. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. One of the best midfield players Arsenal have ever had.

‘They’ve had some obviously great ones. He’s right up there with the best of them.’

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Discussing the match at Anfield more generally, Carragher added: ‘It was a brilliant game and both teams can take a lot from it.

‘Liverpool played really well. They didn’t do enough but you are playing against, defensively, the best team in this country, arguably in Europe and that is without the best centre-back in the world in William Saliba.

‘When you think about Arsenal winning titles, especially in ’89 and ’91 with Tony Adams and that famous back four, I think we’re getting close to putting this back four up against that and in that conversation.

‘To come to Anfield and be put under that much pressure and not have a shot on target from the opposition, or Liverpool not to have a big chance given the money they’ve spent on their attack is absolutely outstanding.’

Meanwhile, Rice revealed after the win that Mikel Arteta had challenged him to contribute even more to the title holders this season.

‘The manager had a really honest conversation with me at the start of the season and still thinks that I can do more in this shirt and for this club,’ Rice said.

‘And this season so far I’ve been feeling really good. We spoke about overlaps before the game.

‘I spoke to this guy [Havertz] about attacking the box with real aggression. He was there, and he nearly could have had another one with the same action. So I’m so happy for him because he deserved that goal today.

‘It’s always tiring and tough coming here. It’s my first win here as a player, so it’s demanding.’

Arteta was full of praise for his Arsenal players after they left Anfield with all three points for the first time in 14 years, describing the performance as ‘incredible’.

‘This was especially for everyone attached to this football club,’ Arteta said. ‘Fourteen years without winning here is a long time.

‘We just said after the last few days, after the defeat against Fleetwood, that things happen for a reason and that’s going to give us another spring and hunger and belief to go and do it.

‘What the team has done here today is incredible. To come here and win in the manner that we have done, I think the players deserve so much credit.’