At a Glance:
- Gary Neville commented on Declan Rice’s display for Arsenal against Manchester City.
- Neville explained why it was a “problem.”
- Rice won five out of 13 duels at the Etihad Stadium.
Declan Rice will be desperate to win his first piece of silverware at Arsenal this season, having joined the club in 2023.
Paul Scholes questioned Rice as a match-winner and in the Gunners’ remaining fixtures in the Premier League and the Champions League, he has a chance to prove the Manchester United legend wrong.
The Arsenal midfielder was heard saying, “it’s not done” with regards to the title race after his side lost 2-1 to Manchester City. It is clear to see how keen Rice is to make history this season.
This title race is going down to the wire. 👊 pic.twitter.com/XHITjrssy9
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 19, 2026
With Manchester City managing to tame Rice on Sunday, Mikel Arteta will need the former West Ham United captain to recapture his form ahead of his side’s subsequent games.
Gary Neville provides damning Declan Rice verdict after Man City vs Arsenal
Reviewing Manchester City and Arsenal’s recent showdown on The Overlap’s Stick To Football podcast, Gary Neville chimed in after Ian Wright claimed that he had seen Rice play much better in other games.
How the Gunners’ midfield fared last weekend up against City’s dynamic duo of Bernardo Silva and Rodri generated plenty of discourse. Jamie Carragher highlighted Martin Zubimendi’s weaknesses off the ball while commenting that he lacked “courage” in possession as well.
As for Gary Neville, the veteran admitted that he could not remember Rice’s display against Manchester City whatsoever, implying how anonymous he was in Arsenal’s biggest game of the season.
“Do you know what I thought on Sunday, Wrighty at the end of the game? And it’s probably not a great thing, I don’t remember him in the game. So, I didn’t say he had a bad game but I don’t remember him in the game.”
“A game of that ilk and a midfield player, I remember certain players in the match. I don’t remember Declan or Zubimendi doing anything at all. That’s a problem, isn’t it?”
Declan Rice stats vs Man City
In fairness to Gary Neville, the statistics also show that Rice had an uncharacteristically disappointing outing against Manchester City.
| Declan Rice vs Manchester City | Stats |
| Duels won | 5/13 |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 29/36 |
| Chances created | 1 |
Considering the Englishman is renowned for his brute force and incredible athleticism, the fact that he won just five out of 13 duels and was dribbled past once highlights his struggles.
Furthermore, Rice creating just one chance, despite being a world-class set-piece taker and completing a mere 29 passes shows he had a day to forget at the Etihad Stadium.
