Declan Rice secured Arsenal’s place in next season’s Champions League with a fine second-half strike to seal a much-needed 1-0 win over Newcastle at Emirates Stadium.
The England international swept home a first-time effort from the edge of the box after being teed up by Martin Ødegaard, taking his tally for the season to nine goals and ten assists in all competitions.
Having beaten Arsenal three times already this season, Newcastle started confidently but found David Raya in fine form. Without leading scorer Alexander Isak, they also lacked a cutting edge in attack that would prove costly.
As was the case at Liverpool last weekend, Arsenal improved after the break and did just enough to secure three points, all but guaranteeing a third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League.
“I don’t know whether it was well deserved. It was a game of two halves,” Rice told Sky Sports.
“They missed some big chances and we took ours. Most important was the three points and we got them today.”
He added: “We’ve been poor by our standards the last few weeks in the league. We went so hard in the Champions League our form dropped in the Premier League.
“Newcastle are such an in-form side and the manager’s message was clear, take it personal. We grew into the game and we showed that grit and three points at home, great way to end the league at home.
“We have to be at the level every week, we had such a good chance in the Champions League we had momentum with that and the league slipped away a few weeks ago.
“Today to win was massive and Newcastle are such a good side.”
After a slow start to the campaign, not helped by a shortened pre-season following international duty, Rice has come to the fore in recent months, particularly with his contributions in and around the box.
His brace of free-kicks against Real Madrid will live long in the memory, while today’s strike was reminiscent of his equaliser at Old Trafford in March.
“It’s about time I started scoring frequently. I liked that finish a lot, whipping across the keeper – a special moment for me.”
Reflecting on a season that promised much but ultimately delivered disappointment in all four competitions, Rice said:
“\[It’s been \] Difficult. After coming so close in the league last year, we were poor this year by our standards.
“To go out of every cup competition — with the players and the manager we’ve got — we need to be competing for titles and trophies, we can’t take anything for granted.
“We’re probably going to lose a few players so we need to sign more players. We’ll strengthen over the summer. We’re going to come back more hungry and stronger wanting to win something for this club.”