Arsenal pulled off a dramatic 2-1 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, thanks to a stoppage-time goal from their new signing Declan Rice. The England midfielder, who joined the Gunners from West Ham for a club-record fee of £80 million on deadline day, scored with a deflected shot from the edge of the box after a corner was cleared by United’s defence.
Rice: ‘I’m seeing the game in a different way’
Rice, who was making his Arsenal debut, said that he was delighted to score the winner and praised his manager Mikel Arteta for helping him improve his game. “It’s an amazing feeling to score on my debut, especially in such a big game. I’m over the moon,” he told TNT Sports after the match. “The manager has been really impressive. He’s been working with me on the training ground, showing me videos, telling me what he wants from me. I’m seeing the game in a completely different way now. He’s given me a lot of confidence and freedom to express myself.”
Rice also revealed that he had received a message of congratulations from his former West Ham teammate and friend Mason Mount, who scored for Chelsea in their 3-0 win over Aston Villa earlier in the day. “He texted me before the game and wished me good luck. He said he was proud of me and happy for me. He’s a great lad and a great player. We’ve been through a lot together and we’ll always support each other,” Rice said.
Arteta: ‘Rice is a leader and a winner’
Arteta, who had been under pressure after Arsenal’s poor start to the season, hailed Rice as a “leader and a winner” and said that he was exactly the type of player that Arsenal needed. “He’s a fantastic player and a fantastic person. He’s got everything you want in a midfielder. He can defend, he can attack, he can pass, he can score. He’s a leader and a winner. He’s shown that today with his attitude and his desire,” Arteta said.
The Arsenal boss also praised his team for showing character and resilience in a difficult game against United, who had taken the lead through Marcus Rashford in the first half. Arsenal equalised through Gabriel Jesus in the second half, before Rice scored the decisive goal in the sixth minute of added time. “It was a very tough game against a very good team. They have quality players and they are very dangerous on the counter-attack. We had to be patient and keep believing in ourselves. We showed great spirit and determination to get the three points. I’m very proud of the players and the fans,” Arteta said.
Solskjaer: ‘We were unlucky to lose’
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, meanwhile, lamented his team’s misfortune and said that they deserved at least a draw from the game. He pointed out that United had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside in the 87th minute, when Alejandro Garnacho thought he had scored his first goal for the club after coming on as a substitute. “We were unlucky to lose today. We played well, we created chances, we scored a good goal. We thought we had scored another one, but it was ruled out by a fraction. It’s very frustrating,” Solskjaer said.
The Norwegian also defended his decision to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench until the 70th minute, saying that he wanted to rest him after his international duty with Portugal. Ronaldo, who returned to United from Juventus on transfer deadline day, had scored two goals in his second debut for the club against Newcastle last week. “Cristiano is an amazing player, but he can’t play every minute of every game. He had a busy week with Portugal, he played two games, he travelled a lot. We have to manage him carefully and make sure he’s fit for the whole season,” Solskjaer said.
