Gunners great Ian Wright lauds ‘unbelievable’ Arsenal star, tips Man City as title favourite

Arsenal’s pursuit of Premier League glory gathered momentum as they secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium, with Ian Wright reserving special acclaim for the ‘unbelievable’ Declan Rice following his standout performance, Soccernet.football reports.

Bukayo Saka’s 45th-minute penalty broke the deadlock before Rice delivered an assist for Leandro Trossard’s goal and sealed the win with Arsenal’s third in injury time.

The victory propelled Arsenal four points clear at the summit, albeit briefly, as Manchester City narrowed the gap to just one point with a resounding 5-1 triumph over Wolves later in the day.

Reflecting on Arsenal’s excellent win on BBC’s Match of the Day, Gunners icon Wright showered Rice with praise, hailing his remarkable impact in his debut season at the Emirates following his high-profile switch from West Ham last summer.

“He is the difference for us in respect of being able to play any of those positions in the midfield,” asserted Wright. “He will find himself in any situation, and he will be able to deal with it.

“This is his touch map; he was all over the place. People were talking about can he play in a possession-based system? Of course, he can. Will he score enough goals? Now, we are seeing that, especially with someone like Thomas Partey behind him, because it releases him.

“You need somebody attacking the box because that’s one of the big problems for Arsenal; with Declan playing where he is in that eight, to get into the box, he is getting in there and trying to get his goals.

“This is what he is absolutely fantastic at [winning the ball back]. He will see that, sniff that out, and then make another chance – unbelievable. This is what he is fantastic at.

“This is proper box-to-box play from him. What Arsenal are doing is a lot down to this man. He has been unbelievable for Arsenal this season.”

While Arsenal sit atop the league table eyeing a first Premier League title in 20 years, the race remains Manchester City’s to lose. If both teams triumph in their remaining fixtures, Manchester City will finish on 91 points, two ahead of Arsenal.

Debating the title race on BBC’s Match of the Day, former Tottenham and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas opined, “I just think Man City are too strong; they are going to go all the way, I think.”

Wright concurred, stating, “Yeah, it looks like it; they are so strong.”

Arsenal’s next challenge in their title quest sees them facing Manchester United in a daunting away fixture, while Manchester City confront Fulham in a bid to maintain their dominance.

Although Liverpool technically remains in contention for the title, the odds are stacked against them, requiring them to secure victories in their remaining three matches and hope for a falter from both Arsenal and City to snatch the Premier League crown in Jurgen Klopp’s farewell season at Anfield.