Declan Rice scored a pair of stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid after ignoring instructions to cross the ball and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has praised his decision

Mikel Arteta believes his Arsenal players must continue to make more decisions for themselves if they are to take the “next step”.Declan Rice scored two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid as Arsenal beat the Champions League holders 3-0 on Tuesday night.

After finishing second in the Premier League for a consecutive two years, Mikel Arteta was extremely confident of changing that record ahead of this season. But with seven games left, the Gunners are all set to end their 2024/25 campaign again as runners up as they are 11 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.