‘Unbelievable’: Mikel Arteta praises 25yo Arsenal star who completed 100% passes vs Wolves

Arsenal started off their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates Stadium.

Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka were the goalscorers in the first and second half respectively.

Aside from the duo, there were plenty of stand-out performers and Declan Rice was one of those.

The 25-year-old started from the central midfield position and grabbed the eye with his regular forward runs.

Rice completed 100 percent of his passes. He won three duels and made two interceptions while creating one chance.

He was substituted in the 85th minute after being unable to carry on due to cramp.

Speaking after the win, manager Mikel Arteta confirmed the same and added that Rice was ‘unbelievable’ with his performance.

He told Arsenal.com: “He was cramping a bit. He hasn’t had the longest pre-season ever, but he’s really trying and he put in an unbelievable performance again today.”

Arsenal continued from where they left off last season. It was not a convincing display, but they got the points in the end.

The Gunners backline were prone to defensive errors which has been rarity since the start of the year.

David Raya came to the rescue with three saves including one from point blank range to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Arsenal will be away from home to Aston Villa next weekend. It could be a tricky game based on last season’s results.

Villa did the double including a 2-0 win at the Emirates which remains the only league defeat for the Gunners in 2024.

It proved very costly as Arsenal missed out on the league title to Manchester City by just two points.

The London giants will be aiming to avenge the loss in next Saturday’s late kick-off at Villa Park.

Stats from Sofascore.com