Arsenal star Max Dowman summed up Declan Rice with just two words after his stellar performance in the Gunners' 2-0 win against Burnley. Rice, 26, netted his second goal of the season on Saturday, after he was instrumental in helping Arsenal break the deadlock through Viktor Gyokeres.
The England international took the corner kick that led to Gyokeres' opener before it was his time to grab a goal. Rice finished off a flowing counter attack, heading the ball past Martin Dubravka to double Arsenal's lead.
His goal was the cherry on top of an all-action display which helped Mikel Arteta's side make it nine wins on the trot. The midfielder was the game's top performer in terms of tackles (five) and duels won (nine).
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After the win, one of his team-mates took to Instagram to show their admiration. "The best," Dowman wrote, resharing Rice's post.
While Rice would be a popular answer if you asked who the best midfielder in the Premier League is, Paul Scholes doesn't agree. The Manchester United legend prefers Newcastle star Sandro Tonali.
Speaking on last month, Scholes stated: "I think he's better than Rice. I really like Rice, don't get me wrong, I think he's got everything.
"Sometimes he takes a few too many touches of the ball and tries to look a bit more stylish than necessary. He can do everything, but I don't think he does it enough. I prefer Tonali, but they're both good players."
After receiving criticism from Arsenal fans, the former United star explained how he prefers a 'different type of midfielder'. "I get slagged off for this," Scholes added on the .
"I did a top five the other week, and I didn't put people like [Moises] Caicedo and Declan Rice, because I like a different type of midfielder. I like a Vitinha at PSG, I think he's brilliant - he's amazing.
"I thought [Alexis] Mac Allister last year, at Liverpool, was brilliant; now he's not started great this year. I like that more, not so much an attacking midfielder, but that more controlling one who can do a bit of everything. Not just the defensive one who just gets around it and might score the odd goal here and there, I like the more progressive type."
For Arteta, Rice is the only man he's concerned about. "I think he stepped up when the team needed him the most," Arteta told Match of the Day.
"I don't know how many balls and tackles he won in total, he carried the ball, he scored the ball. That's his evolution as a player."
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