Rice delights in goalscoring feats during ‘huge’ Bournemouth victory
Declan Rice described Arsenal’s 3-2 win against Bournemouth as “huge,” as the Gunners solidified their hold on the Premier League title on Saturday. Rice was instrumental for Arsenal, with his two goals in the second half proving sufficient to make Junior Kroupi’s late strike merely a consolation, enabling Mikel Arteta’s team to extend their lead to six points at the top. Bournemouth had opened the scoring in the 10th minute with Evanilson capitalizing on a mistake by Gabriel Magalhaes, although the defender redeemed himself shortly after with an equalizing goal. In what marked his 296th Premier League appearance, Rice delivered by scoring his first-ever brace in the league, helping the Gunners achieve their 15th victory of the season. In fact, Arsenal now stands as the 16th team in Premier League history to record 15 or more wins within their first 20 matches of a season, with only four previous clubs failing to claim the league title that year (Arsenal in 2022-23, Liverpool and Spurs in 2018-19, and Manchester United in 2003-04). The Opta supercomputer has given them an impressive 81.6% probability of securing their first top-flight championship since 2003-04, and Rice feels that their recent success only brings them closer to their objective. “Huge. Following Aston Villa, the key focus today was to build on that and secure a win,” he told Sky Sports. “The victory against Aston Villa would’ve held no weight if we hadn’t come here today and secured anything. This time of year is crucial, with a hectic schedule. Matches come quickly, and if you can secure victories around Christmas, on top of what we’ve already achieved, it puts you in a really strong position. We’ve got to keep enhancing that, maintain the right mindset, continue pushing, but we are currently in excellent form. Long may it last.”
2 – Declan Rice has netted his first-ever brace in the Premier League, happening on his 296th appearance in the league. Evolution. pic.twitter.com/1MYVZ1YFeY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 3, 2026
Rice has also now found the back of the net five times in 12 Premier League encounters against Bournemouth, more than double the goals he has scored against any other rival in the league. It represented a commendable return to the Arsenal squad for the England international, who had missed the Gunners’ emphatic midweek victory over Aston Villa due to a knee injury. “Another player who has put in so much effort recently to make himself available today, the duration was uncertain,” commented Arsenal manager Arteta. “He pushed himself to the limits, and the team benefitted with two remarkable goals. I believe it’s the first occasion he’s netted two in a Premier League match, so indeed, a memorable day.” On the other hand, Bournemouth’s winless streak in the Premier League has now reached 11 matches, although they showcased a commendable performance against the league leaders. Nevertheless, a recurring issue hurt them once more. Bournemouth has been unable to secure victories in eight league matches this season where they scored two or more goals (D5 L3), twice as many as any other team in the league. Despite the challenges, the Cherries are at least providing entertainment, with their Premier League fixtures yielding 69 goals (31 scored and 38 conceded), at least seven more than any other team’s matches in the league this season. Despite the performance, Andoni Iraola’s dominant feeling was one of disappointment. “It’s a sentiment we’ve experienced often lately,” he stated. “We execute many good things but end up with either one point or none. “Today, we conceded three goals to Arsenal, yet they didn’t have numerous chances. Overall, it was a fairly even match. We were superior in the first half, but Arsenal outshined in the second half. It’s challenging to score two against Arsenal, but finishing without a point is disheartening. We need to be exceptional to secure just one point. Arsenal found a way to clinch victory, and this has been a significant setback for us.”
Published: 2026-01-03 20:58:00
source: www.soccernews.com
