Heading into the Champions League quarterfinal tie, Arsenal were considered the underdogs, likely so because of Real Madrid's heritage of dominating European competitions for the last decade or two.
However, the Gunners decided to put everything aside and delivered two fantastic performances, one better than the other, over the two legs.
The first leg was about Declan Rice turning into a superhuman and rifling two stellar free-kick goals, with Mikel Merino playing a great supporting role. The second leg at Santiago Bernabeu was about patience and perseverance before the killer blows from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.
It was a Champions League classic, one for the ages for Mikel Arteta and his men. One to forget for Los Blancos.
After their 5-1 thumping over two legs, Arsenal legend Ian Wright was full of praise for Declan Rice as he delivered another stellar performance in midfield against one of the best teams in Europe.
After scoring two memorable freekick goals in the first leg, he returned to his natural role in the second leg. He didn't allow the likes of Federico Valverde, Aurélien Tchouaméni or Jude Bellingham to dictate play even when Real had the lion's share of possession in the first half.
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Rice was a proper midfield general for Arsenal in the away leg and played a pivotal role in helping the visitors register a 2-1 win.
What did Arsenal legend Ian Wright say about Declan Rice?
Wright was delighted by the 26-year-old's performance and feels that none of the pundits can now criticize the England international, especially by bringing up his price tag.
“Nobody can ever question him! You see all these podcasters being disrespectful, but Declan Rice, over two games, absolutely wiped the floor with that team with his performance," he began on his Wright House podcast.
“It was a performance where you’re looking at a player and you’re thinking: ‘Yeah, we know he’s good and he’s getting better."
The 61-year-old highlighted Rice's versatility and ability to adapt as a midfielder in different roles. He also labelled him one of the best midfielders in the world right now.
“We saw the two goals last week that we haven’t seen before. We’ve seen on a weekly basis that he’s just improving and getting better in any position that he’s asked to play in, whether that’s crashing the box, whether it’s six, whether it’s eight," Wright continued.
“He was everywhere! As we sit here right now, he is in the top three midfielders in the world.”
Arteta would like the English midfielder to continue this hot streak of form in the upcoming matches. Especially in the Champions League semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Spaniard may need Rice to play a deeper role in midfield than usual, with Thomas Partey getting suspended for the first leg and Jorginho injured to fill that void. It will be a different challenge for the 26-year-old, but he has already done some unbelievable stuff this season.
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