Jarrod Bowen, Ayden Heaven react to Declan Rice’s Arsenal Champions League message
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has been shown support from the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Ayden Heaven following the Gunners’ record Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven.
Mikel Arteta‘s side made the trip to the Netherlands on Tuesday night for the first leg of their Round of 16 clash in the competition.
It turned into a night to remember for Arsenal as they claimed an emphatic 7-1 win over the Dutch giants to all but secure their place in the quarter finals, the highest knockout stages win ever.
Not surprisingly, that is a result that Rice appears keen to relish, and he has been given the backing of some of his fellow Premier League players as well.
Declan Rice reacts to dominant display, as West Ham and Man United stars respond
A brace from Martin Odegaard along with goals from Jurrien Timber, Mikel Merino, Leandro Trossard, Ricardo Calafiori and the eye-catching Ethan Nwaneri guided Arsenal to victory.
While Rice was unable to get on the scoresheet, he too impressed for his performance in the centre of the park for the Gunners, where he operated as the proverbial engine room.
| Declan Rice vs PSV | Total (as per SofaScore) |
| Assists | 1 |
| Key Passes | 2 |
| Successful Passes | 32/36 |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Successful Duels | 2/5 |
He was therefore understandably keen to savour that big win after the game, taking to Instagram to simply post the number seven, along with a star emoji.
Among those to react to that were West Ham ace Bowen and Man United centre-back Heaven.
Bowen and Rice were of course previously teammates at the Hammers, where they tasted European success together by lifting the Europa Conference League.
Meanwhile, Heaven of course only recently left Arsenal in order to complete a move to Man United.
Arsenal thrashing of PSV was badly needed
Football Insider Verdict
This feels like a hugely significant result for Mikel Arteta and his side in a number of different ways.
Such an big win ensures Arsenal are already as good as through, meaning they can put more of their focus on some big Premier League games with Man United and Chelsea before the international break.
PSV have been a threat in this competition as well this season, beating the likes of Liverpool and Juventus already.
Recording a scoreline such as this against will therefore give Arsenal belief they can go a long way in the Champions League, which may be important given it looks to be their best chance of a trophy this season.
Beyond that, after all the questions there have been about their lack of goals recently, such a prolific night in attack is also going to boost the mood considerably around the club.
As a result this will go down as an excellent all-round night for Arsenal.