“He’s such a warrior” - Piers Morgan salutes Arsenal star for ‘thumbs up’ moment in win against Burnley
Famous British journalist Piers Morgan, who is also an Arsenal fan, hailed Gunners star Declan Rice for his mentality as the North London giants defeated Burnley 3-1 on Saturday.
Morgan praised Rice for how he reacted to a bad challenge from a Burnley player. The former West Ham United skipper did not make a fuss and got back on his feet immediately, showing a thumbs-up to the referee.
Morgan took to X (formerly Twitter) to single out Rice for his attitude, hailing him as a 'warrior'. He wrote:
"Declan Rice just got wiped out in a foul, jumped straight back up, did a thumbs up to the ref (who booked the Burnley player anyway) and got on with running the game despite being obviously in a lot of pain. He’s such a warrior. @_DeclanRice #afc."
Arsenal find themselves second in the Premier League table following their 3-1 victory against Burnley. Leandro Trossard, William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko found the back of the net for Mikel Arteta's side while Josh Brownhill scored for the visitors.
The Gunners ended the game with 10 men after Fabio Vieira was sent off but never really looked in danger. Rice was one of the key reasons they dominated the middle of the park throughout the game.
Declan Rice has been an instant hit at the Emirates following his £105 million move from West Ham United in the summer. The 24-year-old has scored two goals and provided two assists in 18 games across competitions this season.
Pundit believes Chelsea should have signed Arsenal star before Moises Caicedo
Pundit Sam Allardyce has claimed that Chelsea should have signed Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice before Moises Caicedo. The Blues signed Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion for a British record transfer fee of £115 million in the summer while Rice was snapped up by their London rivals.
Allardyce has claimed that Chelsea should have targeted Rice when the Englishman was playing for West Ham United. The now-Gunners star was in the Blues' academy between 2006 and 2013 but was released when he was 14.
Speaking about Rice on the No Tippy Tappy Football, Allardyce said (via HITC):
"They should have done. They should have bought him. They should have bought Declan before Caicedo."
Rice has been excellent for Arsenal following his mega-money move from West Ham in the summer. Caicedo, on the other hand, has endured a shaky start at Stamford Bridge.