BOURNEMOUTH, England — Mikel Arteta believes every game starts with a pre-match press conference. Arsenal therefore, the coach is guarded by his team's news to prevent the opponent from gaining any advantage, and therefore in this context Declan Ricecontribution to winning the match Saturday's victory with a score of 3:2 V AFC Bournemouth it took over 24 hours to plan.
Rice missed Tuesday's win over Aston Villa with a swollen knee and Arteta was vague enough in his media address on Friday to cast serious doubt on his midfielder's participation at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. Rice not only started, but also scored twice in precious victories that moved the Gunners six points clear at the top of the table. Premier League.
They needed him here. Arsenal were disjointed and particularly sloppy in possession in a first half in which Arteta – even for himself – was particularly nervous on the touchline, engaging in a lengthy exchange with the Bournemouth bench midway through the match after Rice was brought down in an unpunished challenge.
Gabriel Magalhães gave Bournemouth the lead in the 10th minute with a pass straight to Evanilson on the edge of his box. David Raya inevitably found himself out of position, leaving Evanilson with an easy finish.
Gabriel atoned for his mistake with a superb left-foot strike to equalize six minutes later, but Arsenal were still reeling, exhausted and exhausted by Bournemouth's heavy pressing and an attacking line-up that forced the visitors back. They improved by about half an hour after the break and it proved to be a crucial period as Rice came to the fore.
Only Martin Zubimendi registered more touches (90) and rebounds (12) than Rice, with 80 and eight respectively, but his contribution in the final third was devastating.
His shot in the 54th minute was calmly sent into the corner, as was his strike in the 71st minute. Both owed moments of sharp precision to Martin Odegaard in preparation, showcasing his often impeccable passing, assisting the opener and playing as a substitute. Bukayo Saka for the second.
The game should have been over – especially against a team that hasn't won since October 26 – but Arsenal find a way to make things worse in almost any situation these days. Junior group came off the bench and fired a long-range shot past Rye, but Bournemouth were unable to get another shot on target after this as Arsenal held on.
The soundtrack for much of the second half on a very cold night was “Declan Rice in Red and White, I Like It” to the tune of “That's the Way I Like It” by KC and The Sunshine Band. Rice scored a double for only the second time in his career, the first being in April when he stunned an opponent real Madrid with two penalty kicks that will go down in folklore.
It's too early to tell how important this win might be as Arsenal bid for a first league title in 22 years, but without being particularly impressive, the Gunners do just enough to stay ahead of the chasing pack and put the pressure on their opponents again. Manchester City.
During the club's pre-season tour of Singapore, Rice revealed that he had set himself new goals to influence more matches: more goals and assists in the No. 8 position he now occupies, an evolution from the No. 6 role he predominantly played before moving from West Ham United for £105 million in 2023. In his 19th league appearance of the season, Rice has already matched his league tally of four goals from last season. It took him 35 games.
He hasn't specified what the rest of his new goals are, but he's clearly making progress.
“I've had situations before where I scored one goal in a game and wanted to score another one and it didn't happen, but now it has,” Rice said. “We will need everyone to contribute at different points and be happy to help the team.”
Arteta was later asked to reflect on Rice's new goals and where they came from.
“We sit down together and set goals,” Arteta said. “But setting goals is not enough. You need a plan to implement and make them a reality.
“He's extremely consistent in everything you ask him to do and everything he really wants to do. That makes all the difference. First of all, he has the ability and qualities to achieve this, but it requires consistency. He does it every single day and then you see that kind of productivity.”
City failed bid for Rice but they are ready to sign Antoine Semeñowho was chosen to play here despite imminent £65m move north. Semeño made little impact on the game – if this was effectively a pseudo-debut for City, given the title race, he would quickly be forgotten – and instead the focus was on Gabriel's character, shown in addition to Rice's contribution.
“I really like today's next step for the team in terms of personality and presence,” Arteta said. “I think what Gabi Magalhães did after the big mistake of conceding a goal, the way he reacted to it, the way he played afterwards, the way he transferred the energy after that was remarkable. And Declan is another one.”
“It was important to him that he was available every hour today. We didn't know for how long, so the way he competed and played and also scored two goals, I think was outstanding and a really important message for the team.”
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was upset that referee Chris Kavanagh awarded a free kick in the build-up to Arsenal's third goal and blew the final whistle when Semenyo was about to cross from a dangerous position.
But we should finish where we started with Arteta's press conference. Is Rice one of the best midfielders in the world right now?
“Yes, for me,” Arteta replied. “For me, the ones we have are the best and Declan is constantly adding something to his game, constantly adding something to his role in the team and I don’t see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and wants to improve. He's a very important player for us.”
Of course he can say that now.
