Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Wed 8 April 2026 10:06, UK

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Declan Rice delivered a brilliant performance as Arsenal narrowly beat Sporting CP in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Kai Havertz scored a stoppage-time winner after he was found by Gabriel Martinelli’s brilliant pass to give the Premier League side the edge ahead of the second leg of the quarter-final next week.

It has been a difficult few weeks for the Gunners, with injuries piling up and defeats suffered to end hopes of winning both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

But the drive for the Premier League and the Champions League remain, with Tuesday’s win marking a big step towards the semi-final in Europe.

Should Rice continue to play as he did on Tuesday, Mikel Arteta will be confident that Arsenal’s form can take a step up for the remainder of the season.

Declan Rice matches Mikel Arteta numbers

Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness exclusively told Football Insider last month that the pressure is on Arteta ahead of the final weeks of the season.

Arsenal have gone close to winning both the Champions League and the Premier League in recent seasons, but it feels as if they have never had a chance as good as this.

The Gunners boast a nine-point lead over Manchester City in the league, and will play Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in the semi-final with the advantage of a second leg at home, if they surpass Sporting CP.

Rice’s performance on Tuesday has given them a superb chance of doing exactly that, and he will undoubtedly be key for every single one of the remaining games.

The midfielder was acting as a destroyer against Sporting, constantly winning the ball back across the pitch.

He has just returned from injury and looked jaded at times, but his technical quality remained intact – completing all but one of his attempted passes.

Rice created two chances on the night, but it was the 13 recoveries he recorded that caught the attention.

According to Opta, that is the most an Arsenal midfielder has won possession in a Champions League knockout stage match since Arteta against Bayern Munich in 2013.

Further history for Arsenal

There was another piece of history written for Arsenal on Tuesday, after Max Dowman made his way off the bench.

The 16-year-old has set all manner of records this season, and claimed another as he became the youngest-ever player to appear in the Champions League knockout stage.

The youngster looked right at home, too, winning four duels and earning three free-kicks in his short time on the pitch.

Should Dowman score next week, he will become the youngest-ever Champions League scorer, beating Ansu Fati’s record set when he was 17 years old.