A cold afternoon on January 3, 2026, in the Vitality Stadium. Declan Rice had one of the most memorable individual performances of the Premier League season. Moreover, the performance increased Arsenal title race chances. The England International hit his first-ever top-flight brace to help Arsenal to a dramatic come from behind 3-2 win over Bournemouth.
A Thrilling Comeback: Rice Turns the Tide
Arsenal began the match on a disastrous note. This happened when Gabriel Magalhaes, the centre-back, gave Bournemouth the goal in the 10th minute. It came as a lost goal-side pass that saw Evanilson tap into an empty net. Noni Madueke, however, caused Gabriel to make it very easy to atone. He smashed home an equalizer only six minutes later, following a scramble in the box, after his mazy run.
It was a half of the first half scramble and Bournemouth was all over Arsenal. However, Arsenal were not able to find any rhythm. Halftime changes by Mikel Arteta bore fruits, with the Gunnars coming out more alert. Martin Odegaard (54th minute) passed to Rice in the edge of the box and the midfielder curled a very accurate low shot to the corner of the bottom to get his maiden goal of the campaign.
There would be another replacement. Bukayo Saka presented together with Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, who 17 minutes later ran down the right. He gave the perfect pass to allow Declan Rice to side-foot his second, kissing the camera lens in the pitch side cameras. England substitute striker Eli junior Kroupi, who played late and over long distance, put Bournemouth in a tense situation. But this time Arsenal did not yield them the victory as they had gotten in the previous five league games.
Declan Riceโs brace against Bournemouth was his ๐๐๐๐๐๐ in his career, both were in an Arsenal shirt ๐
Big moments. Big goals. Delivering when it matters most ๐ pic.twitter.com/fJM69BRKuE
โ AFTV (@AFTVMedia) January 4, 2026
Riceโs Evolution: From Defensive Rock to Goal Threat
It was a career breakthrough. This is because Declan Rice became the first player to score in 296 Premier League games. Moreover, it also highlighted his presence in attack. The 26-year-old was signed on a five year deal in 2023 (PS105 million), with a reputation of defensive genius. Yet there was a time when scoring goals were one of his weaknesses. This is the season he has also added four league goals and five assists. Moreover, he only follows Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres in the Arsenal scoring tables.
His free roaming raids coupled with his collaborative efforts with, summer signing, Martin Zubimendi have rendered the midfield robust and dynamic in for Arsenal title race. He always adds things to his game as Arteta pointed out. I donโt see where he can stopโ. Declan Rice is now regarded by pundits as one of the top contenders of the Player of the Month. Since his rise as a leader, Arsenal has seen the club win 15 out of 20 matches.
After the game, Rice uploaded to Instagram to celebrate his brace. He put images of the match as the caption on the picture. The post garnered likes and comments and became viral throughout football.
Ivan Toney, who went to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the former Brentford striker, could not resist a jab. Toney is a goal-poacher in his own right. He noted when commenting on the goal that Rice can be described as having heart-eyed emojis. But pointed to the clinical aspect, particularly the calm second goal. The comment was echoed, since Rice is frequently involved in deeper tasks when at England. However, his Bournemouth performance reminded him of being a striker.
The reaction of Toney is based on mutual respect between the two. They have a history of Three Lions and the strategy by Toney to move to a foreign land has not eroded their involvement in the drama of the premier league.
Chloe Kellyโs Glowing Endorsement
Chloe Kelly is the icon of Lionesses and winger of Arsenal Women. She scored the final goal in the Euro 2022. She did not go into detail but made her words count: Too good. Being a clutch performer herself, Kelly speaks with authority. Therefore, the words she says are the ones which make the difference between the male and female games at the club.
Her remark is a demonstration of how many admire Rice in the England system. Kelly is the new employee of Arsenal with a lot of hype. She represents a rising gender synergy of the club. Moreover, her approval of the performance of Rice enhanced the interest of the performance of the latter.
Broader Reactions and Title Implications
Other celebrities also came in. A teammate, Jurrien Timber, said My bro, Aston Villaโs Matty Cash, Arsenal colleagues Gabriel and Odegaard all supporters with the fire emoji. The gushing highlights the popularity of Rice.
The win increased the gap of Arsenal to six points to Aston Villa and Manchester City in their title race. The latter drew to Chelsea the following day. Rice is in good time with a January to define including Liverpool at home. His brace was a payback on old Bournemouth hoodoos. A sign that Arsenal had reached the stage of maturity and was able to handle it.
Rice is making decisions with its performances as the title race builds up. Response of Toney and Kelly points to his high profile: not a midfielder, but a game-changer. To Arsenal fans who need to end a 22 year drought, such moments make them believe that 2026 will be their year.
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