Arsenal’s midfield dynamo Declan Rice netted his second goal of the season with a commanding performance at Turf Moor, expressing his satisfaction with the current level of his game.
England scored via a brilliant header past Martin Dubravka to extend Arsenal’s lead, following Viktor Gyokeres’ opener against Burnley.
Speaking after the game, Declan looked back on his performance, crediting his excellent form to remaining sharp both on and off the pitch.
He said: “I’m so focused on and off the pitch. Every weekend I know how important it is to win football matches. I realize the position we’re in and what we can achieve as a club. So I’m doing everything I can, on and off the pitch, to prepare myself and prepare the team to win football matches.”
“We always have one goal in this team this season, and that’s to deliver for the fans and for each other, and we’re going to keep trying to do that. One game at a time. I’m very happy with where my game’s at.”
“First half, we were very, very good. Could have been three or four. The second half wasn’t our best performance, but it showed that other side of the game where we can be resilient, where we can defend for our lives, and it really means something by not letting the ball go in the back of our net.”
“We’ve really got that unity and togetherness, not wanting to concede, that’s winning us games as well as our attacking threat. It was a game of two halves, but in the end, three points is all that matters. We get home now and recover, ready for Tuesday.”
Declan’s goal came after Arsenal defended their box brilliantly from a long throw. Gabriel rose highest to clear the danger, with Bukayo Saka flicking the ball on to Gyokeres, who quickly shifted play to Leandro Trossard. The Belgian then whipped in a superb cross that Rice met perfectly with his head to find the net.
Reflecting on his goal, Declan shared: “Special, very, very special goal. Just because of the whole sequence of play, I think my goal might be looked at in terms of the run from me and how I headed it in the back of the net. But we’ve defended a long throw from here.”
“Big Gabi’s headed the ball like his life depended on it, and then we broke, and the whole team reacted to that situation. When teams play really, really deep and set against us, these are the best moments to score when they’re open. We took advantage of that, and to score a header like a traditional number nine, I was happy today.”
