The May 18th match secured Arsenal’s Champions League position after defeating Newcastle 1-0. The Player of the Match, Declan Rice, took the shot and gave the winning score to his team. The victory was celebrated by fans at the Emirates Stadium, who knew how important the result was for the season.

David Raya and Declan Rice were considered heroes of the game. During the first half, Arsenal’s David Raya maintained a tight defence and denied the visitors scoring opportunities. 

Raya made a series of impressive saves, stopping shots from Bruno Guimaraes, Tino Livramento, and Harvey Barnes, before making a brilliant double save from Dan Burn and Sven Botman after a corner.

Rice scored a goal early in the second half with a smooth, first-touch shot into the bottom corner, after getting a pass from Martin Odegaard near the edge of the penalty area. This score was the winning goal, giving Arsenal the victory. 

This match gave Arsenal five points ahead of Newcastle. With this victory, they are tied to the current Champions League second-placer, Barcelona, with both securing 19 points. 

Without Alexander Isak, Newcastle found it hard to make good chances and challenge Arsenal’s defence, leading to their almost inevitable defeat. 

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Declan Rice is on a fantastic run in 2025, as he has become Arsenal’s focal point. Despite their injury troubles, the Gunners are in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after beating 15-time winners Real Madrid. Rice played a huge role in the 5-1 aggregate win, as he scored two spectacular free kicks in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium on April 8.

With his performances for Arsenal, Rice has cemented his place as one of the world’s best midfielders. In fact, he is the best example of an ‘all-action midfielder� as he is good at every facet of football. Find out more about Rice and why he deserves to be called an elite player.

Rice has elite versatility in midfield

As a youth player, Rice started as a centre-back, where his athleticism and strength stood out. Despite those traits of being a traditional CB, Rice progressed further up the pitch, as he became a defensive midfielder (#6) at West Ham United. 

He became elite in that position, but people caught glimpses of him being an all-action midfielder there. Rice moved to Arsenal in 2023, where he continued playing at #6. A few months into his time at Arsenal, manager Mikel Arteta assigned him as a left-sided central midfielder (#8). 

This made him more influential on offence as he became Martin Ødegaard’s playmaking partner. Rice’s ball-carrying and attacking instincts helped him become a more impactful player. He is still impactful with his out of possession (OOP) work with interceptions, which shows his versatility as a well-rounded midfielder.

Rice perfectly blends the traits of elite midfielders

Rice has become an established elite player, but he is also a product of midfielders of previous eras. Declan plays with the relentless energy reminiscent of Steven Gerrard.

Rice’s impact on offence is similar to that of Paul Scholes or even Frank Lampard to some extent. With all these comparisons to former icons of the English game, it further cements Rice’s status as a world-class midfielder for Arsenal and the England national team.

Arsenal has maximised his skills as a top player

With Rice playing at this elite level, he can be considered one of the world’s best players. The performances against Real Madrid were already strong, but he deserves more recognition for what he has done in the past two seasons with Arsenal.

He will only improve with time, as he learns how to become a better playmaker and leader. Rice already has all the tools; he just needs to finish the job and win a trophy with Arsenal as they are a spectacular side that deserves some silverware.

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Old Trafford was filled with fans�cheers and chants as Manchester United and Arsenal played an intense match on Sunday, March 9, 2025. The game ended in a draw as Arsenal’s midfielder, Declan Rice, scored the equaliser.

The first half of the match was uneventful, but as the half time neared, Manchester United’s midfielder Bruno Fernandes was given a free kick. He took this opportunity to score for his team and showed a masterful kick that infiltrated Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya’s wall and through his hands.  

The second half had more intensity as both teams tried their hardest to change the flow of the game. Multiple kicks, counter-attacks, and near-misses occurred on both sides. As the second half neared its end, at the 74th-minute mark, Rice kicked the equalising score for Arsenal. 

Desperation grew even thicker, with both teams trying to score a winning goal for their teams. 

Arsenal’s midfield had another chance for a goal outside the penalty area, but the ball was deflected by Man UTD’s goalkeeper André Onana. With no luck on both sides, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.

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