Declan Rice shined in his unfamiliar role at right-back as Arsenal defeated Brighton 2-1 and will enter the final round of the 2025 Premier League top of the table.
Mikel Arteta has revealed that he had no hesitation in allowing Declan Rice to step into the right-back position for Arsenal’s big win over Brighton on less than 48 hours’ notice.
Arsenal’s first-choice right-back Julian Timber missed the game, while left-back Riccardo Calafioli also missed the game after picking up an issue during the warm-up. And with Arsenal missing a number of players through injury, it was Rice who replaced Timber in a must-win game for the title race.
The England star, who has developed into one of Arsenal’s most influential players under Arteta, excelled in his unfamiliar role and was quick to praise his manager after the game ended 2-1.
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“He has never played in that position. I asked him 48 hours ago and he immediately said yes,” the Spaniard told Sky Sports. “When we face difficulties, the players are ready to step in.”
Asked in his post-match press conference if the injury situation had brought the group together, Arteta mentioned Rice again, adding: “Yeah, there was the injury to Julian, the landing was awkward, there was something with Richie and it was very, very strange and yeah, but I spoke to Declan and told him I needed to play on the right (full-back) and he said, ‘Okay, I’m going to try, I’m going to play my own game.’ It’s great. ‘And his attitude is great. ”
Rice’s defensive constraints due to his one-time role at the back did not prevent him from contributing on the other flank, and his provocative corner was inadvertently slotted into Brighton’s goal by the hapless Georginio Rutter, sealing all three points for Arsenal.
And while Timber and Calafioli are sidelined, there is good news for Arteta and Co on the injury front with the return of Gabriel, who has been missing since November after being injured while on international duty with Brazil.
The influential centre-back returned ahead of schedule and came on in the second half to help Arsenal halt a Brighton fightback after Diego Gomez’s goal halved the gap by the hour mark.
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