Alan Shearer was amazed by the performance that Declan Rice delivered for Arsenal against West Ham United last time out.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was in sensational form against his former club, West Ham United, at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Whilst the Gunners were excellent to a man, and the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard also produced special displays, the weight of narrative meant that Rice was always going to dominate the headlines.
In the recent summer transfer window, Rice left West Ham as a hero, as he made his way over to the Emirates Stadium. He had come through the east London outfit’s academy, given them years of services, excelled as a club captain, and in his final campaign played a key role in guiding them to an historic Europa Conference League triumph.
The 25-year-old has now quickly established himself as a fan-favourite at Arsenal, too. He has been in sensational form this season, and has shown exactly why the Gunners were willing to part with a club-record £105 million fee to secure his services.
Rice has even been tipped to be the man capable of leading Arsenal to glory in Europe, as well as the Premier League. Certainly, if Mikel Arteta’s side are to achieve their aims for this season, and become Premier League champions, then Rice will have been at the heart of that success.
Alan Shearer hails Arsenal star Declan Rice
Now, Alan Shearer has revealed what he made of the England man’s performance against the Hammers. Speaking to the official Premier League website, the former Newcastle United striker stated that the midfielder was “unstoppable against his former club, setting up two goals before scoring himself.”
Rice did indeed grab a goal and two assists at the London Stadium. A couple of his set-piece deliveries were turned into the back of the net by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, and then in the second half he completed the hosts’ humiliation as his long-range effort put Arsenal 6-0 up.
Shearer took issue with the manner in which Rice celebrated his goal against West Ham, but he could not deny that the Arsenal man produced a remarkable performance in the match. The level Rice hit on Sunday will have come as little surprise to Arsenal supporters, though, as the 48-cap England international has been consistently brilliant all season so far.
It is now simply vital that Rice as able to remain fit, and firing on all cylinders, for the remainder of the campaign.
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