Declan Rice gives Eberechi Eze the encouragement he needs to be Arsenal’s next big star

Arsenal’s march through the 2025/26 Champions League continued with a commanding 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at Emirates Stadium, sealing a 3-1 aggregate win and a place in the quarter-finals. Yet beyond the scoreline, the night belonged to one moment of individual brilliance that may have re-ignited a career.

Eberechi Eze, the former Crystal Palace playmaker who has flirted with consistency since his move across south London, announced his return in spectacular fashion, lashing a first-time volley beyond the Leverkusen keeper with venomous precision. The strike, timed at 67 minutes, broke the tie open and underlined why coaches still speak of the 27-year-old as one of English football’s most natural ball-strikers.

Post-match, Declan Rice—enjoying a Player-of-the-Season-calibre campaign in Arsenal’s midfield—was quick to anoint his teammate. Speaking to Hand of Arsenal, Rice said: “Eze has one of the best shots I have seen. Left foot, right foot. Unreal. Anywhere around that box, just give it to Ebs. When you look at the season, we have only lost three games. Keep raising the level.”

The endorsement arrives at a pivotal juncture. After a purple patch that saw Eze plunder five goals across two north-London derbies against Tottenham Hotspur, the attacking midfielder had drifted into quieter territory, managing little goal involvement in the fixtures that followed. Rice’s public vote of confidence, delivered in the mixed-zone lights of a European knockout tie, could prove the catalyst Eze needs to re-embrace the shooting instincts that once defined his game.

Arsenal now turn their attention to a congested run-in where fixtures will come thick and fast. If Eze can parlay Wednesday’s thunderbolt into a sustained streak, Mikel Arteta’s side believe they possess the firepower to chase multiple trophies deep into spring. Rice’s message was simple: shoot, be brave, and the stage is yours.

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