Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has claimed that former Manchester United and England star David Beckham was the inspiration behind his long-range strike against Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
Rice kickstarted the Arsenal comeback from 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge as he pounced on a loose pass from Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and lashed the ball into an empty net from 30 yards out.
The Gunners went on to win a point as Leandro Trossard levelled the scores with six minutes left and after the game, Rice spoke about his special strike against the club where he began his career.
“Everyone’s been talking about this Beckham documentary, and I watched it for the first time last night,” the former West Ham midfielder told Arsenal’s official media.
“The first couple of clips are the game against Wimbledon where he scored from the halfway line and I took a lot of belief from that.
“I was just thinking that it was bizarre that I watched it last night, and then obviously today taking that shot first time and scoring. It was a special goal to kickstart our comeback, you’ve got to keep shooting – if you shoot, you score!”
Rice’s goal proved key to the comeback as Mikel Arteta’s men preserved their unbeaten record in the Premier League this season, which had seemed unlikely at 2-0 down and with time running out at Stamford Bridge.
“In a player’s mind, you get a split second to make a decision,” the midfielder added.
“It’s the quickest thing that you have to do; you’ve got to think whether you pass the ball, Leo [Trossard] was free in front of me, or you go for goal yourself. I’ve just watched it back, it was a great finish so I was happy with that.”
Arsenal move level on points with champions Manchester City at the top, with pre-round leaders Tottenham in action against Fulham on Monday night.
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Declan Rice has exclusively revealed to FourFourTwo why he chose to sign for Arsenal this summer.
FFT also caught up with former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey, who explained why he turned down a move to the Saudi Pro League in favour of re-joining Cardiff City.
Meanwhile, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has said that leaving Real Madrid was the “best decision” he could have made for his career.
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