If you want to win the Premier League title, then you have to go through some serious struggle and Arsenal did just that against Luton Town on Tuesday night.
On paper, it was an expected win for Mikel Arteta’s side and a comfortable three points against the newly-promoted team.
But it was far from that against an aggressive Luton side and in front of a hostile Kenilworth Road crowd for the Arsenal players.
However, in those big moments, the big stars step up and that’s exactly what Declan Rice did by scoring an incredible 97th-minute winner, with Ian Wright describing him as a ‘big-game mentality’ player, as he told Premier League Productions (05/12/23 at 10:30 pm).
Before Declan Rice joined Arsenal, one of the criticisms that was aimed at him was his lack of goals from midfield – Roy Keane was one of his past critics.
The 24-year-old scored four in the Premier League for West Ham United last season – and now he already has three, and all of them big, big goals.
The late winner against Manchester United, he started the comeback at Chelsea and now this at Luton.
Declan Rice shines for Arsenal against Luton Town
“You look at Declan Rice and the way Declan Rice plays, he is never less than 8/10 and 9/10,” said Wright.
“He is consistent and now that’s something we know he has in his game (winner v Luton). He can progress the ball. Break up play and create chances. And he can score goals as well.
“That’s a big-game mentality right there in what we need. He is a massive difference to us this season. Whatever we do this season, he is going to be a major part of any kind of success for us because he is driving us (to the Premier League title). He drives us.”
£100m Declan Rice – Signing of the season?
When Arsenal put £100+ million on the table for Rice, some raised eyebrows that the Premier League title chasers were paying over the odds.
But fast forward to the present and the England international is proving to be one of the best purchases the team has made in many, many years.
Perhaps the signing of the season so far, and amid a plethora of top stars at the Emirates, he has perhaps been the best of the lot this season.
So much so that it could be argued that the last person Arsenal fans want to see get injured is Rice because he now seems to be the heartbeat of the team – although, Thierry Henry did make interesting comments about Bukayo Saka.
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