Gunners star inspires win at Bournemouth on his return from injury and is lauded by Mikel Arteta<\/p>\n
Football writer Dan Edwards looks at the impact of Declan Rice following his two goals in Arsenal’s 3-2 win at AFC Bournemouth and what the victory means for the title race.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake, this was a huge battle for Arsenal<\/a>\u00a0and one that pushed them to their absolute limit.<\/p>\n It bore resemblance to Manchester City<\/a>\u2019s draw at Sunderland<\/a>\u00a0on New Year\u2019s Day \u2013 not in goals, but in the fierceness and physicality of their opponents and the backbone required not to relent.<\/p>\n The difference here is that Arsenal left the Vitality Stadium with three points, while Man City headed home from the Stadium of Light with one.<\/p>\n This is where titles are won and lost, and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will have learned this the hard way while coaching his side to three consecutive runners-up finishes in the Premier League over the last three seasons.<\/p>\n This is where great players step up, and Declan Rice<\/a> proved beyond all reasonable doubt today that he is one.<\/p>\n His match-winning performance \u2013 despite being “touch and go” after missing the midweek win against Aston Villa with a knee injury \u2013 showed his incredible strength of character.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Every hour for him was important to be able to be available today,” said Arteta. “We didn’t know for how long [he could play for], so in the manner that he competed, played and on top of that scored two goals, I think it was outstanding and a really big message for the team.<\/p>\n “He was so disappointed not to play against Villa. He really wanted it. He tried in the morning, he was nowhere near a possibility.<\/p>\n “He wanted to train the next day, it wasn’t a possibility. Until the last minute I asked him [before Bournemouth], ‘How are you feeling?’ He said, ‘I’m in.\u2019 And he showed that he was big time in.”<\/p>\n Midfield greats<\/p>\n Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard and Kevin De Bruyne. These are just some of the names we can expect Rice to be compared to when his career ends.<\/p>\n These are the players who take the reins in the tough moments to win games that were balanced on a knife\u2019s edge. These are the players who win Premier League titles.<\/p>\n When asked after the match whether Rice is one of the best midfielders in the world, Arteta replied: “Yes, for me. For me the ones that we have are the best. Declan is constantly adding things to his game. He’s constantly adding things to his role in the team.<\/p>\n “I don’t see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. He’s such a pivotal player for us.”<\/p>\n Bournemouth<\/a> had taken a lead in the 10th minute after Gabriel Magalhaes<\/a>\u2019 scuffed pass arrived perfectly at the feet of Evanilson<\/a>.<\/p>\n With Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya<\/a> situated to the left of his own goal to supply his central defender with an additional choice of recipient, Evanilson was free to plant the ball in the opposite corner.<\/p>\n Gabriel made amends for a rare error only six minutes later when bringing Arsenal back level following the second phase of a cleared free-kick.<\/p>\n Noni Madueke<\/a>, starting ahead of Bukayo Saka<\/a> on the right, skipped past Antoine Semenyo<\/a> before driving into the box and playing the ball across goal.<\/p>\n Three Arsenal players attempted a shot on goal \u2013 Gabriel\u2019s was the third effort, and he scored with it.<\/p>\n Bournemouth did incredibly well to contain Arsenal in open play throughout the rest of the first half, but the Gunners were a different beast after half-time.<\/p>\n Rice to the rescue<\/p>\n This is when Rice truly took hold of the game, scoring twice in the space of 17 minutes.<\/p>\n Watch: Rice’s incredible performance v Bournemouth<\/p>\n A pass into the final third from Jurrien Timber<\/a> was won well in the air by Gabriel Martinelli<\/a>, and after recipient Viktor Gyokeres<\/a> was finally dispossessed in the box, the ball fell to the feet of Martin Odegaard<\/a> on the edge of the box.<\/p>\n Sensing an opportunity, Rice darted from a deeper midfield position to position himself directly on the edge of the box.<\/p>\n Odegaard, noticing his team-mate\u2019s run in the corner of his eye, laid the ball off perfectly for Rice to sidefoot home with a low and powerful effort.<\/p>\n There was equally adept movement for his second goal, when a well-worked combination on the right culminated with substitute Saka on the edge of the six-yard box before pulling the ball back for an unmarked Rice to fire home once more.<\/p>\n This was Rice\u2019s 296th appearance in the Premier League, but the first in which he scored more than one goal in a match.<\/p>\n “I have been in situations before where I have scored one in a game and wanted to score another, and it hasn’t happened, but now it has,” he told BBC Match of the Day.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to need everyone chipping in at different points, so I’m happy to help the team.\u201d<\/p>\n It is worth mentioning that Rice is only afforded the opportunity to risk this many forays into attacking positions because of the situational intelligence of his team-mates, and none more so than Martin Zubimendi<\/a>, whose reading of the game is arguably unmatched across the Premier League.<\/p>\n Bournemouth did not give the game up without a fight. French youngster Junior Kroupi<\/a>, only shortly after coming off the bench, reduced the deficit to one goal when scoring from long range in the 76th minute.<\/p>\n Arsenal refused to buckle, though, allowing only two more shots during the game\u2019s denouement, both of which were blocked at source.<\/p>\n There were many top performers across both teams, but Rice was a deserving man of the match.<\/p>\n Two goals, 14 defensive contributions, the second-most distance covered of any Arsenal player, and the second-most sprints of any Arsenal player.<\/p>\n As usual, a masterful all-round performance from one of Europe\u2019s top all-rounders.<\/p>\n Indeed, Rice’s wide-ranging influence across the pitch is arguably unmatched at the top level. He is on the podium for a long list of metrics for his club in league action this season.<\/p>\n His seven combined goals and assists in the Premier League this season are surpassed only by Leandro Trossard<\/a> (nine). His 33 tackles are beaten only by the 46 of Timber. No team-mate can match Rice’s 188 progressive carries.<\/p>\n How Rice ranks for Arsenal in 25\/26<\/p>\n Statistic Minutes Goals Assists Goals + assists Completed passes Line-breaking passes Chances created (inc. assists) Passes into opp. box (inc. crosses) Expected Assists Progressive carries Poss. won Tackles Interceptions This level of impact wins games on a consistent basis, and he knows just how important today\u2019s win was to keep Arsenal at the top of the table.<\/p>\n “Massive\u201d was the word Rice used when interviewed by Sky Sports after his match-winning effort.<\/p>\n \u201cOff the back of Aston Villa, the key thing today was to build on that and go and win. The win against Aston Villa<\/a> would’ve meant nothing if we didn’t come here today and pick up anything.”<\/p>\n Huge Liverpool test next<\/p>\n
\nTotal
\nArsenal rank<\/p>\n
\n1,609
\n3rd<\/p>\n
\n4
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n3
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n7
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n1,039
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n142
\n1st<\/p>\n
\n32
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n146
\n1st<\/p>\n
\n3.4
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n188
\n1st<\/p>\n
\n96
\n1st<\/p>\n
\n33
\n2nd<\/p>\n
\n18
\n2nd<\/p>\n