Before their visit to Selhurst Park, Gary Neville brought up Declan Rice’s British record move to Arsenal, and the 24-year-old player had the ideal response.
After Gary Neville said Declan Rice, who cost £105 million, is not on the same level as Roy Keane and Patrick Viera, Rice put on a strong performance for Arsenal in their 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace.
The 24-year-old, who transferred to Arsenal from West Ham last month, made his first competitive away start for the club as they sought to make it two wins in a row in the Premier League. Both Arsenal and Palace had three points to start the season after their respective 2-1 victories over Nottingham Forest.
Martin Odegaard’s second-half penalty played a crucial role in helping Arsenal win despite their inability to generate many clear-cut chances. Although Mikel Arteta’s team had to play the final 23 minutes with 10 men, the Norway international scored from the spot to secure a narrow victory.
This came after Takehiro Tomiyasu received two quick yellow cards, one of which was for wasting time while receiving a throw in, and was then given the boot. However, the incident had no bearing on the final result because Arsenal displayed grit and willpower to keep the three points at Selhurst Park.
Regarding Rice, he once again dazzled and was a key player in the Gunners’ victory. The deepest Arsenal midfielder in the starting lineup for the first half was the England international. Having the freedom to pick up the ball and drive in between the lines, 6 assumed the role of the quarterback and performed that function.
When he provided Eddie Nketiah with a glorious opportunity, he demonstrated his abilities. Nketiah was put in a one-on-one situation after Rice advanced through midfield and slid a precise pass to the forward on the right side of the box. As Nketiah lifted the ball over the crossbar, Rice was denied his first assist while wearing an Arsenal jersey.
Although it was unfortunate for Arsenal, that particular incident perfectly summed up what fans can anticipate from Rice. The former West Ham player had to settle for more defending in the second half because he saw less of the ball and Arsenal was reduced to 10 men.
After Neville gave Rice a harsh evaluation of his price tag, Rice’s performance was impressive overall. In an interview with Sky Sports prior to the game, he stated: “For £100m, I think you want goals and assists at the top end of the pitch, but the last six months have completely changed the perception of midfielder players’ values.
“You mention Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira; in my opinion, they are the two greatest midfielders in British football history, and I don’t think Declan Rice belongs in that group. “.
Due to Nketiah’s poor finish, Rice came perilously close to picking up an assist and likely would have. In spite of this, Jamie Carragher commented on Rice’s performance and said he was the best player there.
“I actually like him in the role he played tonight more than popping up between the lines,” said Carragher. He had started in that deeper position and was moving forward from there. He is most effective there, in my opinion.
He has mentioned taking notes from the manager, moving up the field, and possibly playing in the pockets. I don’t believe it fully fits him, but I thought what I saw tonight was fantastic.
It appeared as though he was the conduit for everything.
He made a few outstanding 50- to 60-yard passes while in the middle of the field, receiving the ball and switching plays.
He did, however, slip a quick pass to Nketiah while making that run.
On the field, he was the top performer. He was excellent in my opinion. “.
For more updates, we are at your service all day long and all night long.
