Arsenal manager Mikel praises England international for stretching himself to the limit and scoring a fine brace in 3-2 victory over Bournemouth
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice celebrates scoring against Bournemouth on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his team’s resilience to fight back from conceding early to beat Bournemouth 3-2 is a sign of their growth as they aim to end a 22-year wait to win the English Premier League (EPL).
The Gunners moved six points clear of Aston Villa at the top of the table and seven ahead of Manchester City, who host Chelsea in their game-in-hand on Sunday.
A rare error from Gabriel Magalhaes gifted Bournemouth the lead in the 10th minute, but the Brazilian centre-back quickly made amends at the other end to equalise (16th min). A second-half double from Declan Rice (54th and 71st min) then secured the three points for the Gunners despite a stunning strike from Eli Kroupi (76th min) to give Bournemouth hope late on.
Mikel Arteta
“They [Bournemouth] are so good, [we] made it even harder for ourselves conceding the first goal, but I love the character of the team,” said Arteta.
“I love the character of Gabriel. The way he overcame that situation, it’s just unbelievable. It says a lot about how much we’ve grown. The team found a way to beat them and it’s a massive win,” he added.
Rice had been a major injury doubt after missing Tuesday’s 4-1 thrashing of Villa due to a swelling on his knee. Arteta said that the England international had pushed himself to return to the starting line-up and proved the match-winner by doubling his goal tally for the season.
“He has stretched himself to the very limit and the team were rewarded with two great goals. I think it’s the first time he’s scored two in an EPL game, so yes a great day to remember,” remarked a jubilant Arteta.
01
No. of times Declan Rice has scored a brace in the EPL
15
No. of wins for Arsenal in their first 20 EPL games this season; Only twice before have they won more times in their first 20 top-division fixtures
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