LONDON STADIUM — Forget Bend it like Beckham, we’ve entered the Deliver it like Declan era.
Not even in his wildest dreams could Declan Rice have foreseen his return to West Ham going quite like this. A 6-0 victory in which he had a direct hand in half of the goals was some way to mark his first Premier League appearance as a visiting player to the London Stadium.
By half-time he had registered two assists in a game for the first time in his Premier League career, the first from a corner and the second from a free-kick. By the 65th minute, he had scored a stunning long-range screamer borrowed from Steven Gerrard’s highlight reel to cap a fine day’s work. There are perfect days and then there is this.
Rice’s game began with every touch being booed by more home fans than he might have expected given his exemplary service in claret and blue. It ended with the ball veering into Alphonse Areola’s top corner via his right instep and those same supporters – at least the ones that hadn’t already headed home earlier than planned – affording him a standing ovation.
When Arsenal bought Rice last summer they knew they were acquiring one of the most complete midfielders in Europe, an exceptional ball winner, ball carrier and distributor. Three players rolled into one. Given less prominence in the scouting report was his expertise from set-pieces.
Rice didn’t take a single corner in his first five Premier League seasons for West Ham and managed under 20 in his final two (16 and 19 respectively). He only took 22 free-kicks in 204 appearances.
Initially, that pattern continued at Arsenal with Rice taking four corners in his first 20 league matches. He has since attempted 12 in his last four. At this stage, it is tempting to wonder if there is anything that Rice cannot do on a football pitch. With his height and agility he would probably make a decent keeper.
Rice demonstrated impressive variety with his dead-ball delivery too. William Saliba scored the opening goal with a header from a corner that floated all the way to the back post, while Gabriel Magalhaes netted the third from a free-kick whipped menacingly towards the front post. West Ham’s James Ward-Prowse would have no doubt approved.
That pair of assists also doubled Rice’s overall tally for the campaign, matching his previous best effort across a season.
Perhaps the biggest question asked of Rice when he made his record-breaking move across the capital was whether he could continue to make year-on-year progress in a different coloured shirt. That has been answered emphatically.
“Yeah that [set-pieces] is something that we knew [about],” Arteta said. “It depends as well on who plays in the team and the height we have in the box. He used to do it at West Ham.”
Arsenal’s threat from free-kicks and corners is well known by now, so much so that their set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has his own dedicated Wikipedia page. They have scored 16 goals from such situations in 2023-24, which is not only at least three more than any other side has managed but is also one better than their total from the whole of last season.
Gabriel and Saliba both provide a significant threat, so much so that the former has scored more league goals than Bruno Fernandes since August.
Given his West Ham connections, Rice was the headline act, but on another day Bukayo Saka would have been the main protagonist. The 22-year-old has a sensational left foot, a blistering turn of pace and a keen eye for goal. He reached his half-century on Sunday and then promptly made it 51.
But arguably his greatest asset is his mental strength. His penalty miss at the same end of the same stadium against the same opponents in April was one of the defining moments in last season’s title race.
Saka could have easily delegated responsibility to Martin Odegaard after winning the penalty himself with Arsenal only 1-0 in front at that stage, but instead stepped up and sent Alphonse Areola the wrong way to banish his east end demons.
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