Declan Rice shook off the knee issue that ruled him out of Arsenal’s midweek victory over Aston Villa and came back in style, firing in his first Premier League beace to steer Arsenal to a crucial three points.
After suffering home-and-away defeats to Bournemouth last season, Arsenal fell behind once more in the early stages, but Gabriel equalised before Declan Rice restored control with a second-half strike that gave Arsenal some breathing room.
After the match, he reflected on the result: “It’s a massive win, It’s a really tough place to come, we lost here last season. It was difficult the season before, so we knew what we were in for today.”
“The manager made us well aware of that after not the best start. Then to show our character again and come back was massive, and to win 3-2 in the end was a massive result.”
The midfielder admitted he was ‘fuming’ after missing Arsenal’s clash with Villa, but made amends with another commanding performance in midfield, capping it off with two more goals.
“But to miss that [game] was annoying; to come back today and help the team and score two, I think the fans will be really happy. And I’m happy myself that I could help out, because this team’s special and if we’re all chipping in together, I’m sure good things will happen.”
The English Midfielder was quick to credit Martin Ødegaard, who set up his first goal with a perfectly timed assist for Arsenal.
“He’s so intelligent. I mean, the way he feeds passes for you, the second one, the way he played it through to Bukayo – there aren’t many players in the world who can play those passes”.
“He heard me – he was going to shoot but he set me back and I was so happy, because the more he assists for us, our teammates, and the more he scores, the more he’s firing, it’s going to help us do good things.”
Declan Rice also praised Viktor Gyökeres for his relentless work up front, noting his role in the second goal, which marked Rice’s first of the match for Arsenal.
“It’s tough for him, because he’s got two defenders on him all game, all over him. So he has to use his strength, he has to do all he can to help the team and with that goal, without him making that run from Gabi’s flick and holding it, setting it off to Martin, that goal wouldn’t happen”.
“That was a pivotal moment in the game for us to turn the game on its head. I see how hard he hits a ball, and when that space arrives for him and the ball’s arriving at his feet to score goals, he will 100% score”.
“But at the minute, defenders in the Premier League want to be able to stop Viktor Gyokeres, because he’s one of the best strikers in the world. Trust me, he’s doing unbelievably for us, we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
It was a strong day all around for Declan Rice and his Gooners teammates, made even more special by Arsenal’s travelling supporters, who debuted a new chant for him to the tune of “That’s The Way I Like It.”
“I’m really happy with that,” he smiled. “The fans are amazing away from home as always. They travel, they pay all their hard-earned money, and to start the New Year off with a win and to make them happy is what we do it for, you know. We know at Arsenal, the fans are here for what we want to achieve for them, so we just have to keep pushing and doing that.”
