Ivan Toney's three-word response to Declan Rice after Arsenal title statement issued

Declan Rice was in flying form during Arsenal's 3-2 win over AFC Bournemouth on Saturday to retain their lead at the top of the Premier League table, and his work didn't go unnoticed by Ivan Toney.

Ivan Toney joked that Arsenal should deploy England teammate Declan Rice as a striker after his heroics against Bournemouth on Saturday evening.

The central-midfielder was in incredible form against the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium, securing a brace as the Gunners emerged 3-2 victors to increase their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Evanilson opened the scoring for the home side before Gabriel responded almost instantly to level matters. Rice broke the deadlock in the second half, before doubling down with around 20 minutes left to play.

Eli Junior Kroupi did his best to clinch a point for Bournemouth, but his finish ultimately came as a consolation as Arsenal left the south coast with all three points.

An instrumental part in Mikel Arteta's high-octane engine room, Rice has now scored four goals for his team in 19 Premier League appearances this season, also chipping in with five assists.

Quick to mark his emphatic display against Bournemouth, the 26-year-old took to social media platform Instagram to share a photograph, writing: "Brace on the road."

And it didn't take long for a number of Rice's peers to react, sharing their messages of adoration for the fine form he is in at present. Toney, who parted ways with Brentford in 2024 to join Al-Ahli, wrote: "Get him upfront," with a pair of heart-eyed emojis.

Jurrien Timber also added: "My bro," while Aston Villa star, Matty Cash, went on: "Joke," with a fire emoji. Elsewhere, Chloe Kelly wrote: "Too good," while Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Kepa Arrizabalaga all shared their own messages.

It comes as Arsenal are on track to clinch their first Premier League title in over two decades come season's end, if Arteta can inspire his squad to keep up their current run of form.

With 15 wins and three draws to show for their efforts, the Gunners have lost just twice this campaign - faltering in a 1-0 loss to defending champions Liverpool in August, and suffering a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in early December.

At the time of writing, Arsenal hold a six-point lead over Villa in the Premier League standings and they are also seven points clear of third-place Manchester City.

However, with the Sky Blues set to face Chelsea on Sunday evening, Pep Guardiola will be looking to bridge the gap ever so slightly.

Up next for Arsenal is a home match with Liverpool on Thursday, January 8. They then move on to clashes against Portsmouth and Chelsea in the FA Cup and League Cup respectively.

Premier League meetings with Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Leeds - as well as Champions League outings against Inter and Kairat - make up the rest of a hectic January for Arsenal.