Declan Rice: Arsenal midfielder ‘stretches himself to limit’ before another ‘masterclass’

Rice continued to develop in a more attacking midfield role at Arsenal; He initially played as a defensive midfielder at West Ham when he first moved to the Emirates.

He has completed more passes into the box than any other Premier League player this season (146).

He is in the top 10 in terms of touches, opportunities created and times he wins the ball.

Rice has four goals in the Premier League this season – only Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard (both five) have scored more at Arsenal. Belgian forward Trossard is Rice’s only teammate with more than three assists.

Rice, meanwhile, is the top-ranked Arsenal player in passes made over the line (142) and progressive moves (188).

Arteta said: “He is extremely consistent in everything you ask him to do and that is what makes the difference.

“First of all, he has the talent and attributes to do it, but then you need the consistency to do it and he does it every day and then you see that kind of performance.”

When told he had scored two goals in a league game for the first time, Rice told Sky Sports: “It’s a crazy statistic.

“I haven’t scored many goals this season, only two, so it was a really good feeling to get a boost in an important win today. It always adds an extra special feeling when you win and can help the team like I did today.”

Rice scored five goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Bournemouth; this is more than double the goals he has scored against other teams in the league.