Rice Astounded by Teammate After Bournemouth Victory

Declan Rice spoke after Arsenal’s impressive victory over AFC Bournemouth, where he played a key role in securing the win with two goals.

Arsenal's match-winner, Declan Rice, expressed admiration for one of his teammates following the 3-2 away win against AFC Bournemouth on Saturday evening. The Gunners overcame a difficult start, as Gabriel Magalhaes made an error that allowed Bournemouth to take the lead. However, Magalhaes quickly redeemed himself by scoring a crucial goal.

Rice then scored twice, showcasing his attacking prowess, before Bournemouth managed to pull one back with a stunning goal just under 15 minutes from the end of the game. This victory marks the conclusion of the festive period for Arsenal and extends their lead over Manchester City. With City not playing until Sunday against Chelsea, the gap between the two teams cannot be reduced below four points this weekend.

The win was significant for the Gunners, and after the match, Rice praised teammate Martin Odegaard for his contribution. Odegaard provided the assist for Rice’s second goal, and the midfielder shared his thoughts with Arsenal club media:

“He's so intelligent. I mean, the way he feeds passes for you, the second one, the way he played it through to Bukayo - there aren't many players in the world who can play those passes. He heard me - he was going to shoot but he set me back and I was so happy, because the more he assists for us, our teammates, and the more he scores, the more he's firing, it's going to help us do good things.”

Gyokeres’ performance

Rice also offered words of encouragement to Viktor Gyokeres, who has been working hard but has yet to deliver the goal returns many expected when he joined Arsenal on a high-profile summer transfer.

“It's tough for him, because he's got two defenders on him all game, all over him,” Rice said. “So he has to use his strength, he has to do all he can to help the team and with that goal, without him making that run from Gabi's flick and holding it, setting it off to Martin, that goal wouldn't happen. That was a pivotal moment in the game for us to turn the game on its head.”

Rice added:

“I see how hard he hits a ball, and when that space arrives for him and the ball's arriving at his feet to score goals, he will 100 percent score. But at the minute, defenders in the Premier League want to be able to stop Viktor Gyokeres, because he's one of the best strikers in the world. Trust me, he's doing unbelievably for us, we wouldn't be where we are without him.”

Gyokeres now faces competition for his place in the Arsenal starting line-up, as Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz have both returned to fitness and are ready to compete. However, it seems that the Sweden international will remain the first-choice forward for the team.

Upcoming fixtures

Arsenal will next face Liverpool in an exciting clash at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday. This upcoming match is set to be a key test for the Gunners as they continue their campaign in the Premier League.

For more updates on Arsenal, stay tuned for the latest news and analysis.