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Arsenal star Declan Rice has disclosed he gestured towards the heavens whilst celebrating his goal against Burnley as a tribute to his beloved late aunt. The Gunners midfielder dedicated his strike to his relative following her passing prior to Arsenal's clash with Fulham in October.
Rice's aunt was a devoted supporter of the north London club, journeying across the country to follow her nephew's footballing journey. The England international's mind immediately turned to her when he found the back of the net against the Clarets.
Rice nodded home from Leandro Trossard's delivery as the Gunners executed a brilliant counter-attack to double their advantage after Viktor Gyokeres' opener. Arsenal is now seven points clear of Liverpool at the top of the table, with Mikel Arteta offering an injury update on Gyokeres at full time.
The 26-year-old explained his reason for pointing skyward following Arsenal's triumph at Turf Moor.
"My auntie passed away before the Fulham game," he said. "I loved her to death. Travelled everywhere to watch me with my mum. I know she's watching down so that was for her today."
Rice feels he channelled a classic No. 9 performance as his team inflicted a rare home reverse on Scott Parker's outfit.
The midfielder believes Arsenal could have found the net more frequently during the opening period.
"They've maybe lost once in like 18 months," he said. "We knew it was going to be tough, so we had to stick to our principles. Our quality shone through and we could have scored four or five in the first half.
"It's important we keep scoring goals. Two goals are perfect for us. If you look at the goal as a whole, we're defending a long throw from our own half. Big Gabby wins the ball and I keep running with the ball. I was like a traditional number nine!".
Mikel Arteta was full of praise for Rice's performance on Saturday afternoon. The Spanish manager believes his player stepped up when it mattered most.
"He stepped up," said Arteta. "He won I don't know how many balls and tackles. It's the evolution of a player."
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Arteta also had high commendations for his team's performance, especially during the first half.
"The first half was exceptional, we scored two goals and gave nothing away," he said. That was the platform.
"We had to make a few changes and didn't have that much control in the second half. Defending was exceptional again, we didn't give anything. There is a reason they have lost one game in 18 months here, against Liverpool in the last second of the game."
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