Troy Deeney uses six words to describe Declan Rice after Arsenal win vs Bournemouth
Declan Rice was in extraordinary form as his Arsenal side beat Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening.
Arsenal beat Bournemouth 3-2, with the midfielder’s second-half brace enough to secure the three points for Mikel Arteta‘s side.
Evanilson had capitalised on Gabriel‘s horrendous mistake to give the home side the lead, before the defender himself equalised. Eli Junior Kroupi would score a late consolation for the Cherries.
Arsenal’s attack remains a point of concern, but it was Rice who was able to step up and provide the finishing touch on Saturday.
After Manchester City drew 1-1 with Chelsea on Sunday, the Gunners now hold a six-point advantage over both the Citizens and Aston Villa.
Troy Deeney waxes lyrical about Declan Rice
Rice had been a serious doubt for the Bournemouth clash, after injuring his knee in the latter stages of Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Brighton.
You would not have known it, considering the midfielder’s performance on Saturday, however.
The 26-year-old was everywhere on the day, making several key defensive contributions and constantly involving himself in the build-up.
| Declan Rice | Vs Bournemouth |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Recoveries | 8 |
Rice was found by Martin Odegaard for his first, running onto the Norwegian’s lay-off and passing it into the bottom corner.
It was a similar finish for his second, too, with Bukayo Saka playing a simple ball back to the England international, who could not miss.
There has been much debate about Rice’s best position over the past few years. The midfielder was almost exclusively deployed at the base during his time with West Ham, but Arteta has created a more box-to-box role for him.
And Saturday’s game showed exactly why. The Englishman is more than capable of making an impact all over the pitch, and would be wasted if restricted to just one area.
Naming Rice in his BBC Sport team of the week, Troy Deeney simply wrote: “Two goals, leader, future England captain – do we need to say anything else?”
What Mikel Arteta said about ‘pivotal’ Rice
Arsenal were fearful after Rice was injured against Brighton. The Gunners dealt with Villa without him, but would have struggled to cope with his long-term absence.
Luckily, the midfielder returned on Saturday, and crucially, as well – without Rice, Arteta’s team may well have walked away without anything to show for the trip.
His manager was asked if Rice is among the best midfielders in the world, to which he said: “Yes, for me, yes. Declan is constantly adding things to his game, he’s constantly adding things to his role in the team.
“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.”
Arsenal have already survived one injury scare with Rice, and they must now ensure that the 26-year-old is protected going forward, for he may well be the man to fire them to the Premier League title.