Arsenal got themselves back to winning ways in some style by hammering Crystal Palace and Declan Rice was on hand to do something not seen in an Arsenal shirt in six years.
The Gunners catapulted themselves right back into the title mix and they’ll now be hoping that Liverpool and Chelsea drop points on Super Sunday.
For Mikel Arteta, it was a game he simply had to win. Five goals and some fluent play was just what he ordered and it was very much a squad effort as well.
Indeed, the goals were spread among the team as Gabriel Jesus (2), Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Gabi Martinelli all scored.
However, it was the goal – and assist – from £100m man Rice that ensured he put himself into the Arsenal record books.
Declan Rice of Arsenal scores his team's fifth goal whilst under pressure from Cheick Doucoure of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match be...
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Declan Rice becomes first Arsenal player to score and assist off the bench since 2018
In a quite remarkable stat shared by the Premier League’s official website, Rice’s appearance from the bench around the hour mark was a memorable one.
According to the shared information, Rice became the first player since a certain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to not only score, but set one up, when coming on as sub.
‘Declan Rice became the first Arsenal player to both score and assist a goal from the bench in a Premier League away game since October 2018, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Aaron Ramsey both did so against Fulham.’
Who has scored most goals for Arsenal as a substitute?
It’s well known that Leandro Trossard is seen as Arsenal’s modern-day super-sub and his record off the bench is over the 40% mark in terms of his overall goals scored for Arsenal.
Looking back further into the history books, Nwankwo Kanu is the top dog when it comes to Arsenal, with 17 of his 44 Arsenal goals coming off the bench.
Another two notable names to score regularly off the bench for the Gunners were Niklas Bendtner and the late Jose Reyes, while Theo Walcott gets a mention as Arsenal’s most subbed on player ever.
Scoring and assisting off the bench in the same game, then, is no easy task and Declan Rice has more than done himself proud here.
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