Arsenal summer signing Declan Rice, on Sunday evening, etched his name into the history books of one of the biggest fixtures in the history of English football.
Rice, and Arsenal, of course, marked their return to action a short time ago.
After dropping their first points of the term at home to Fulham last time out, Mikel Arteta’s troops welcomed long-time rivals Manchester United to The Emirates, eyeing a swift return to winning ways.
And, when all was said and done, bounce back is precisely what the day’s hosts went on to do.
After Martin Odegaard swiftly cancelled out a Marcus Rashford opener midway through the first-half, Man United appeared appeared to have snatched all three points late on, upon Alejandro Garnacho slotting calmly beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
An ensuing VAR check, though, saw the goal ruled out, setting the stage for a grand stand finish.
“DECLAN RICE, A GUNNER FOR LIFE”
Unbelievable scenes as Declan Rice SURELY gets the winner?! 🔴 pic.twitter.com/Uu9MfS8qkA
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 3, 2023
And, from here, Gabriel Jesus went on to add some gloss to the scoreline, rounding out a lightning Gunners breakaway with a clever cut inside, and cool ensuing finish.
It was that man Rice, though, who truly took the plaudits post-match, rounding out a superb individual performance with the game’s defining moment.
And, as alluded to above, in the process, the England international secured for himself a special piece of history.
As per statisticians Opta:
‘Declan Rice’s goal after 95 minutes and 43 seconds is the latest winning goal in Premier League matches between Arsenal and Manchester United.’
95:43 – Declan Rice’s goal after 95 minutes and 43 seconds is the latest winning goal in Premier League matches between Arsenal and Manchester United. Hero. pic.twitter.com/aRFYVsQ4ke
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 3, 2023
Liverpool 3-0 Aston Villa: Match report, player ratings, fan reaction and more
Gary Neville responds to Glazers taking Manchester United off the market
