Arsenal have just booked their spot in the Carabao Cup final after beating Chelsea in the semi-finals.
The Gunners beat their London rivals 4-2 on aggregate, winning the first leg 3-2 and the second 1-0.
It was a moment to savour for Mikel Arteta, and particularly Kai Havertz, who enjoyed scoring against his former club to send Arsenal to Wembley.
For the first time since 2018, Arsenal are in the Carabao Cup final, but the second-leg win was far from pretty, with several players producing performances far below their usual level.
Arsenal’s 2018 Carabao Cup final XI: Swap one of these players with a current one, explain your answer.
Now…that's a back three to behold 🫣
Jamie Redknapp was surprised by Declan Rice’s performance against Chelsea
Though Piero Hincapie was Arsenal’s best player against Chelsea, the Ecuadorian missed out on the official Man of the Match award to Declan Rice.
The decision seemed reactionary, as aside from his match-winning assist, Arsenal fans weren’t that impressed with Rice’s performance.
It wasn’t only supporters on social media who didn’t appreciate the midfielder’s display, as when analysing the game on Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp shared a similar review.
Redknapp stated that Arsenal looked nervous, with Rice being one culprit to trigger anxiety at the Emirates.
“You could sense they were a little bit nervous. I saw Declan Rice give the ball out a few more times than he would normally,” he said.
Be honest, were you surprised that Declan Rice won Man of the Match vs Chelsea?
The pundit was spot on, as the numbers didn’t spare Rice’s blushes, as he lost possession 16 times.
It wasn’t only Rice who was called out, however, as his teammates Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres also collected feedback from Redknapp.
“Zubimendi in midfield. We never really saw Eze on the ball enough. I mean Gyokeres hardly touched the ball, but they didn’t have to do a lot because they were comfortable.”
Declan Rice has become one of Arsenal’s biggest threats
Rice lost possession far too many times and wasn’t as composed as he usually is, but ultimately, it didn’t matter.
Like all elite players, when Rice needed to step up for his team, he did, setting up Havertz’s match-winning goal to change everything.
Agree or disagree, one of Mikel Arteta’s best pieces of work at Arsenal has been Declan Rice’s evolution in attack.
It was a significant assist, not only as it won the game, but because it was his 30th goal contribution since the start of last season!
Signed as a defensive midfielder, Rice has completely changed how he’s perceived since he made the move to Arsenal, for which Arteta deserves huge credit.
The Englishman has transformed to the Gunners’ benefit, coming up with some huge moments thanks to his development in offensive situations.
What a signing and what a return Arsenal have received from Rice, who gets better and better.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
