Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner hasn’t forgotten one thing Declan Rice did during Arsenal’s victory over the Eagles.
Palace arrived at the Emirates knowing the trouble they could cause Mikel Arteta, but the hosts were simply too strong.
A source of danger close to home stung the visitors, as Eberechi Eze scored the match-winner, netting his first Premier League goal for Arsenal against his former club.
Before the game, Glasner knew Eze would be a threat to the Eagles, with the Palace manager forced to double down on his assessment after the contest, too.
The Austrian acknowledged that his former player made Palace suffer, but it wasn’t only Eze who generated attention from the opposition boss.
Oliver Glasner referenced Declan Rice moment after Crystal Palace’s defeat to Arsenal
“Whenever Eberechi gets a free shot inside the box, very often it’s a goal,” Glasner said of Eze post-match to Palace TV.
The Palace manager was also eager to single out Declan Rice, pinpointing one moment that would’ve slipped under the radar to many fans.
When praising Arsenal’s rapid recovery time after losing the ball, Glasner focused on a passage of play involving Ismaila Sarr and Rice.
“I think we could have created more chances with the way we played, it just took us a little bit too long in a few times, and they are working so hard to recover,” Glasner said.
“I’m just mentioning Ismaila Sarr, we found him great two or three times in the second half, and Declan Rice stole the ball, but he had four or five yards advantage.
“This is what we have to improve in these situations: to keep the pace of the attack high if you play teams like Arsenal.”
It wasn’t a glamorous performance by any means from Arsenal, but what the Gunners did so well was maintain their control on proceedings, with the energy used to do so paying off.
What Mikel Arteta said about Rice’s fitness after Crystal Palace win
Rice worked tirelessly to win possession back in the moment that Glasner picked out, but the midfielder’s actions deserved praise for another reason.
After the game, Arteta revealed that he substituted Rice due to a knock he sustained in the first half.
“Declan, as well, was struggling from the first half with a knock that he took,” the boss said.
“I don’t really know because it was a knock,” he elaborated, “But I don’t know if it was the calf or the Achilles or what exactly it was.”
Even while in some discomfort, Rice got the job done to limit Palace’s threat, earning worthy praise from the opposition.
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