Mikel Arteta piled praise on one Arsenal star for his heroics not just against Newcastle United, but for his contributions to the Gunners side for the second half of the season.
Arsenal beat Newcastle United in the Premier League, in a game that ultimately secured Champions League football for the Gunners next season.
It was Declan Rice who was the hero. Despite many good Arsenal performances against Newcastle, it was the Englishman’s beautiful strike that gave Mikel Arteta’s men all three points.
Because of this, Arsenal’s manager was sure to pile praise on Rice at full-time.
Mikel Arteta on ‘exceptional’ Declan Rice
In a post-match interview with BBC’s Match of the Day, Arteta was asked about the impact of Rice, to which he responded with words of affirmation for the Arsenal midfielder.
Arteta said: “Especially in the last part of the season he’s [Rice] been exceptional. He’s winning matches, scoring goals, stats better than last season and still immense room for improvement.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was inclined to agree about Rice. He suggested his goal was ‘special’ to Sky Sports.
“We’ve been good at riding that storm recently, it felt like we were going to do that again and it took a special finish from Declan Rice to break us down,” Howe stated.
Rice has been one of Arsenal’s standout performers this season, no doubt, and his display against the Magpies once again epitomised his importance to the Gunners’ side.
Declan Rice’s numbers against Newcastle in the Premier League
Rice’s game wasn’t just an easy performance on the eye, it also reflected in his statistics on Sunday afternoon.
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Shots on target | 2/2 (100%) |
| Touches | 40 |
| Touches in opposition box | 0 |
| Successful dribbles | 1/1 (100%) |
| Passes into final third | 3 |
| Tackles won | 1/1 (100%) |
| Blocks | 1 |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Headed clearance | 3 |
Rice’s price tag once looked somewhat difficult to justify at Arsenal, but the more and more he plays, the more it looks like a bargain.
Rice is the best holding midfielder in the Premier League at the moment, and with the impending arrival of Martin Zubimendi, Arteta is probably right – there is still so much room for improvement.
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