“They’re completely fearless. He has that Moussa Dembélé ability to use his body to shrug off challenges. Honestly, he’s incredible. I have to mention them, even though they’re Spurs players”- Declan Rice praised two Tottenham players after Arsenal beat their north London rivals 2-1 in the derby at the Emirates.
Declan Rice praised two “fearless” Tottenham players after Arsenal’s crucial 2-1 victory in the north London derby on Wednesday night, singling out his young teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly for special recognition.
Following the win, which saw Arsenal close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points, Rice spoke to TNT Sports alongside host Lynsey Hipgrave and pundits Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, and Martin Keown.
After Son Heung-min gave Spurs a 1-0 lead, Arsenal responded with two quick goals in the first half. An own goal from Dominic Solanke, created by Gabriel Magalhães’ header, and a strike from Leandro Trossard helped secure a vital three points for the Gunners.
At just 18, Lewis-Skelly became the second-youngest player in Arsenal history to start a north London derby, impressing in an unfamiliar left-back role, despite being primarily a midfielder.
Rice was full of praise for the young talent, telling TNT Sports: “The young boy Myles, again, he’s just unbelievable.
For 18, what he showed tonight was just ridiculous. It’s scary. The 18-year-olds today have no fear. They’ve got no fear whatsoever. He has that Moussa Dembélé trait where he uses his body to get away from situations. Sometimes it’s risky, but to show that at 18 with such personality and character… honestly, he’s unbelievable.”
When further pressed by Ferdinand, Rice also highlighted two Tottenham teenagers, including his fellow England youth international, Archie Gray. He continued: “I want to mention them because they’re Spurs players—Archie Gray and [Lucas] Bergvall.
They’re both 18 as well, playing week in, week out. There are guys in the Premier League, younger and younger, with no fear. It’s so good to see.”
Rice agreed with Martin Keown’s observation that “the sky is the limit” for Lewis-Skelly, adding: “He’s a midfielder by trade. He can play as a six or an eight. He came in and played left-back, and it suits him. The fact that he understands these roles and is learning them at 18 is unbelievable. It’s only going to stand him in good stead.
Who knows what the future holds for him with England? They think highly of him, and there’s a lot of competition, so we all need to keep performing for the new manager.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also praised Lewis-Skelly’s performance, saying: “He was phenomenal today. He’s a real personality. He has so much trust in himself and a great attitude. To play against [Dejan] Kulusevski and [Brennan] Johnson here is not easy. The way he handled the situation and the occasion was top.”
