Declan Rice scored Arsenal’s third goal as they comfortably beat Bournemouth on Saturday, though the England international was not left totally happy by his own performance
Declan Rice has admitted he was left fuming with himself after missing a number of chances against Bournemouth.
Rice scored Arsenal’s third goal against the Cherries, having earlier provided the assist for Leandro Trossard’s goal. The midfielder was also named man of the match for his performance, with helped the Gunners move four points clear of Manchester City.
Despite that positive result, Rice was not totally happy with his performance after the final whistle. Instead, the England star admitted he was angry at half-time as he conceded he had missed a ‘sitter’ in the opening 45 minutes.
“Even for my goal, I was back in my own half and I just sensed it, Bournemouth players around there, just kept going and going. Goal, assist and three points is what we needed. I’m delighted, it was a big result.
“They’re a top team they’ve been in good form. We knew today it was business and we had to handle it. You look back at the Villa game the other week and we had four or five chances then second-half was a bit cagey.”
That will come against Tottenham a week on Tuesday, though Rice is keen to keep his side focused on their own run-in. The midfielder was not at the club when their title bid collapsed last year, though he insists they are a changed side.
“Still think we can improve in the second-half. Could have been more composed, they caused a bit of chaos and we caused our own damage really. But to win 3-0 and get over the line, leads into next week and we’re fully focused,” he added.
“I wasn’t here last year, but this year I can sense that we’re embracing it. Man City are a machine, they win most of their games but we can only focus on us. We’ve been doing that in recent weeks.
“We’ve had an unbelievable 2024, I think the record that we’ve had is out of this world. Anything can happen in football, miracles can happen, surprises can happen. We’ve just got to stay focused.”
The Gunners will end their season with a trip to Manchester United and Everton over the next two weeks. City meanwhile take on Fulham and West Ham, as well as their games against Wolves and Spurs.
