Mikel Arteta pays tribute to Declan Rice’s set-piece ability and strengths from outside the box after Arsenal star scored a screamer and provided two assists against former club West Ham
- Declan Rice delivered a corner and a free-kick for both his centre-backs to score
- Arsenal punished an unusually sloppy performance by West Ham with 6-0
- David Moyes will have huge shoes to fill if he leaves West Ham at the end of the season It’s all Kicking Off podcast
Mikel Arteta named Declan Rice’s set-piece qualities as key to pulling off an emphatic Arsenal win against the midfielder’s boyhood club.
Rice provided two first-half assists for William Saliba and Gabriel to set the Gunners on their way before scoring an impressive goal from outside the box.
Arteta said: ‘I’m very happy with him (Rice). I know it was an emotional day for him because he loves West Ham so much.
‘But he had to concentrate on the task and what he had to deliver. Set-pieces were one of them because when we have certain players on the pitch, he is a better threat outside the penalty area than inside the penalty area.
‘It’s always difficult to return to your old club. The fans were very good to him (Rice). When he went to take the corner, they clapped for him, so it’s great to see that kind of reception.
Former Hammers captain Declan Rice scored an excellent performance for Arsenal
Arsenal fans celebrate after Rice’s goal and hold the England international’s shirt in the stands
Rice provided a shout from outside the penalty area as Arsenal romped to a 6-0 victory
“He loves this club so much and I know what it meant to him to play today.”
The win left Arteta confident his team now have the momentum to be real title contenders after beating Liverpool 3-1.
“Yes, we are maintaining and building some momentum now,” he said.
‘After the game against Liverpool we had to show that we had the ability to repeat that level or improve. We trained like this all week.
‘Performance and results have been strong in recent weeks. We have to keep that up, because other teams do that too. We are not the only ones. We have to recognize that, so now on to Burnley.’
Bukayo Saka scored twice to reach the 50-goal mark for his club after he and his team ‘smelled blood’.
Mikel Arteta praised his midfielders and provided two first-half assists for William Saliba and Gabriel to send the Gunners on their way
Bukayo Saka scored twice to reach the 50-goal mark for his club after he and his team ‘smelled blood’.
“We were four nil up in the first half and could have scored many more, including myself,” Saka said. “I think we smelled blood today, we were going for the kill.
‘We did very well to score more. I’m very happy to have achieved that (50 Arsenal goals). I’m proud of that. But I’m not sure I can be happy today. I missed some chances where I thought I could have scored.”
