At Emirates Stadium on Sunday, Arsenal defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win the Premier League. According to Rio Ferdinand, the triumph is significant in a variety of ways.
The Gunners moved up to second position in the standings, trailing only Tottenham Hotspur on goal differential.
After the game, Lineker praised England international Declan Rice on social networking platform X, noting that Arsenal was the superior team and rightly earned all three points.
The 24-year-old played 40 passes, two critical passes, had 57 touches, won four duels, made three tackles, three interceptions, generated two chances, made two clearances, including one off the line, and maintained a 90% pass accuracy rating while avoiding any fouls.
He missed the third round of the Carabao Cup against Brentford and was taken out at halftime of the North London derby against Spurs due to back discomfort, so Arsenal was concerned about his fitness going into this game.
However, Rice quickly got back to playing shape, making appearances against RC Lens and Bournemouth before winning the game against the Sky Blues.
He was the player that Man City wanted to sign in the summer for a reason, and he demonstrated his talent once more today in such a crucial game.
Although it is still early, this victory may have a significant impact on the race for the championship this season, and manager Mikel Arteta will be happy that he beat over other parties interested in hiring Rice.
The Gunners will be eager to pick up where they left off when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in a fortnight after the international break, coming off the back of a sizable victory.
