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‘I Was Fuming’—Declan Rice Reveals Inspiration Behind Bournemouth Masterclass
Declan Rice revealed that he was “fuming” about missing Arsenal’s midweek victory over Aston Villa and channelled those frustrations into a match-winning display against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The all-action England midfielder was forced to sit out Tuesday’s 4–1 win against Unai Emery’s title challengers with a swollen knee. Rice returned to training on Friday and through sheer force of will earned a spot in the starting XI for the trip to the south coast.
It threatened to be an unhappy return for Rice, who watched on in horror as Gabriel Magalhães shanked a pass straight to Bournemouth’s Evanilson as the Gunners fell behind to a disastrous opening goal after 10 minutes. Gabriel rapidly rectified his own mistake with a swift equaliser before Rice took centre stage.
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The buccaneering force of nature delivered two near identical finishes to take the game away from Bournemouth in the second half. Forever hovering around the penalty area during Arsenal’s forward thrusts, Rice was first teed up by Martin Ødegaard and then Bukayo Saka for a pair of crisp thumps into the bottom corner.
It was the perfect response to his midweek disappointment.
When his absence against Villa was raised by Arsenal’s in-house media team after Saturday’s match, Rice closed his eyes and gently shook his head. “I was fuming,” he wryly smiled. “I done everything I can to be involved but there was just no point risking it. I made sure I was back for today which was a real positive.”
“To miss that [game against Villa] was annoying,” he continued, “to come back today and help the team and score two, I think the fans will be really happy. And I’m happy myself that I could help out, because this team’s special and if we’re all chipping in together, I’m sure good things will happen.”
Rice didn’t do much to conceal his frustrations this week. “He was so disappointed not to play against Villa,” Arteta confirmed. “He really wanted it, he tried in the morning, it was nowhere near a possibility. He wanted to train the next day, it wasn’t a possibility, until last minute I asked him: ‘How are you feeling?’ He said: ‘I’m in,’ and he showed that he was big-time in.”
Arteta: Rice Is One of the Best Midfielders in the World
Declan Rice. Different class. pic.twitter.com/l6b6VDf81I
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) January 3, 2026
Rice is an intoxicating mix of industry and dexterity. Arsenal’s most prolific tackler also offers their clearest attacking threat with his set-piece deliveries. No midfielder in the Premier League can match the prolific nature of his surges up the pitch with the ball at his feet and now it appears as though he has a taste for getting on the scoresheet himself.
Faced with this beguiling body of work, Arteta was asked if Rice was among the best players on the planet in his position. “Yes, for me,” the Arsenal boss admitted.
“For me, the ones that we have are the best and Declan is constantly adding things to his game, constantly adding things to his role in the team and I don’t see where he can stop because he can still improve in a lot of areas and he wants to improve. He is such a pivotal player for us.”
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‘Trust Me’—Rice Shifts Focus From Himself to Surprise Arsenal Teammate
While all the attention this weekend was predictably pinpointed on Rice, the star of the show shone the spotlight on an unheralded teammate: Viktor Gyökeres.
“It’s tough for him,” Rice said of the striker, whose wait for a goal from open play now stands at nine games and more than two months. “He’s got two defenders on him all game, all over him. So he has to use his strength, he has to do all he can to help the team and with that goal [Rice’s first of the evening], without him making that run from Gabi’s flick and holding it, setting it off to Martin, that goal wouldn’t happen.
“That was a pivotal moment in the game for us to turn the game on its head. I see how hard he hits a ball, and when that space arrives for him and the ball’s arriving at his feet to score goals, he will 100% score.
“But at the minute, defenders in the Premier League want to be able to stop Viktor Gyökeres, because he’s one of the best strikers in the world. Trust me, he’s doing unbelievably for us, we wouldn’t be where we are without him.”
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Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.