At a Glance:
- Gary Neville on Declan Rice’s performance vs Burnley.
- Neville feels Arsenal were “not amazing” against Burnley.
- Rice’s stats.
Declan Rice played a key role in Arsenal’s latest 1-0 victory against Burnley as Mikel Arteta’s side are one win away from becoming Premier League champions.
Rice was solid against Burnley in his holding midfield role, breaking up play and helping David Raya keep yet another clean sheet.
The England international has been moved to his natural position in recent weeks and he has looked right at home.
Arsenal have opened talks to extend Rice’s contract beyond 2028 and as he stepped up yet again for the Gunners, Gary Neville commented on his showing.
Gary Neville picks Declan Rice as Arsenal’s best player against Burnley
Neville believes that Rice’s Arsenal side were far from their brilliant best against Burnley. After Kai Havertz scored the one and only goal of the game in the first half, one would have expected the hosts to run riot at the Emirates Stadium.
However, that was far from the case, even though Raya kept his 19th clean sheet in the league the season, going level David Seaman, who did so twice in the 1993/1994 and 1998/1999 campaigns.
Most clean sheets in a Premier League season for Arsenal:
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 18, 2026
◎ 19 – David Seaman (1993/94)
◎ 19 – David Seaman (1998/99)
◉ 19 – David Raya (2025/26) 🆕
The Spaniard equals the record. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/satsIvv70E
Speaking to Sky Sports, Gary Neville claimed Rice was Arsenal’s best player against Burnley, stating: “It’s not been an amazing performance by Arsenal, but Rice been the better of the group. He’s just held it together in midfield.”
Declan Rice stats in Arsenal vs Burnley
However, Rice has been excellent all season and he as well as his Arsenal teammates will not be bothered by their performance against Burnley as winning is all that matters in the final stretch of the season.
The stats prove how well the former West Ham United midfielder fared on Monday.
| Declan Rice vs Burnley | Stats |
| Touches | 100 |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Duels won | 7/7 |
| Accurate passes | 72/82 (88%) |
Rice took 100 touches, won all of his seven duels, completed 88 per cent of his passes while also not being dribbled past even once.
Gary Neville rightly praised Rice, who continues to prove his worth as one of Arsenal’s most dependable players as his side will rejoice after their hard-fought triumph against Burnley.
