This man has made a habit of delivering when it matters most. On Tuesday night at a thunderous Emirates Stadium, the Arsenal midfielder was named Player of the Match after a commanding display that included a crucial first-half tackle that kept Arsenal’s Champions League final dream alive.
When asked about Arsenal’s opponents in the final, Rice gave the kind of answer that will have resonated deeply with every Arsenal fan.
“You know deep down who we want to face,”
he said with a grin, refusing to give a media-trained answer. “That’s all I’ll say.” The clip instantly went viral on social media. It was a rare moment of personality and confidence from a player who has grown enormously since arriving at Arsenal.
On the night itself, Rice was everywhere. He made a vital interception in the 11th minute to snuff out danger before Atlético had settled, launched rampaging runs forward to win corners and lift the crowd, and then produced the tackle of the night to deny Giuliano Simeone a clear run on goal in the first half. Arteta had called on his players to be beasts against Atlético before kick-off, and Rice delivered exactly that.
Arteta himself was overwhelmed by the scale of the occasion.
“It is an incredible night. We made history again together,”
he told reporters.
“The manner we were received outside the stadium was special and unique.”
On Saka’s decisive contribution, Arteta’s voice softened.
“It had to be someone very special, and certainly he is very special with me and the boys and everyone attached to this club. If it had to be someone scoring that goal, it probably had to be him.”
The scenes at full-time were unforgettable. Saka, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel fell to their knees in prayer. Martin Odegaard pounded the turf in joy. William Saliba and Gabriel wrestled each other in celebration. And Arteta, composed and controlled throughout ninety tense minutes, sprinted onto the pitch to join his players, unable to contain himself any longer.
Wayne Rooney, watching on as a pundit, reserved special praise for Viktor Gyökeres despite his second-half miss.
“He’s not as flashy as other strikers in the world, but he does all the dirty work,”
Rooney said. Arteta agreed, calling Gyökeres immense and noting that the crowd lifted every time he touched the ball.
Bukayo Saka was substituted at 57 minutes as Arteta carefully managed his fitness—the England international is still working his way back to full sharpness after injury. Arsenal face West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday before turning their full attention to Budapest, where they will meet either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on 31 May.
Budapest awaits. And if Tuesday night is anything to go by, Arsenal are ready for it.
