Arsenal ace Declan Rice has broken his silence after picking up a knock in the Gunners’ narrow 1-0 win against Crystal Palace – providing encouragement for supporters who fear the worst. The win at the Emirates increased Arsenal’s lead ahead in their quest for top spot but there was also a worrying side story about influential players.
Arsenal grind out a crucial win
Mikel Arteta’s team knew wins for both Manchester City and Liverpool over the weekend would narrow the title race gap, but victory for their two rivals was followed by weekend failures. Arsenal reaped the dividend with a cool display that was rounded off by Eberechi Eze’s first-half trailer of a goal against his old club.
The victory takes Arsenal four points clear at the top, with City, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Tottenham and Sunderland completing the top six. Arteta’s side have become under his tutelage, known for doing just that — grinding out the ugly victory; showing a maturity and sense of control when it is most needed.
However, the victory carried a price. William Saliba, Declan Rice, and Gabriel Martinelli all suffered knocks during the tense fixture, forcing Arsenal’s medical team into another anxious week of assessments.
Speaking after the game, Mikel Arteta revealed his concerns but stopped short of confirming the severity of Rice’s injury. “Well, the first one was Willy that obviously had to be out after the first half. Declan as well was struggling from the first half with a knock that he took, and Ricky as well,” Arteta said. “Let’s see how that will go. With Declan, I don’t really know because it was a knock — I don’t know if it was the calf or the Achilles or what exactly it was.”
Rice’s social media response calms nerves
Despite the doubt hanging over his health, Rice was all smiles at full-time. The England star posted three times on Instagram reacting to the win and offering some encouraging words of support to Arsenal fans.
Declan Rice uploaded an image of himself, celebrating passionately after full-time whistle in his first social media story, with the caption: “+3 against a tough opponent. Let’s keep building.”
A reblog of a post from the official Arsenal Instagram account followed, the accompanying caption simply “One-nil to The Arsenal’’. Rice added his own three-word note: “Onto the next.”
In his third post, he shared a picture of himself taking a set piece — a clear reminder that his hunger remains strong despite the setback. The midfielder’s recent posts on social media has hinted that the injury is not bad and he’s in good spirits.
Arsenal fans soon bombarded the comments with messages of encouragement for their midfield lion, lauding his fighting spirit, courage and leadership off it.
Arteta reacts to title race momentum
Arteta also spoke about the title implications after Manchester City and Liverpool both dropped points. When asked about those results, he smiled and said, “No, I wasn’t aware. I just found out at the end of the game — I think most of the players as well. They can’t use their phones at half-time, so hopefully they didn’t find out about it,” he said.
The manager then reflected on Arsenal’s growing consistency. “We came forward especially because we did what we had to do,” he said. “It shows you the difficulty of this league and how complicated it is to win games.”
Author’s view
Declan Rice’s cool, calm and composed message – just what Arsenal fans needed. His captaincy on and off the field is becoming pivotal in the team’s title push. His injury is said to be being assessed, with early signs positive. If the knock proves minor, Arsenal could have their midfield general back for next week’s fixture.
For now, the Gunners march on — top of the league, resilient through adversity, and fueled by Rice’s unshaken determination to “keep building.”
