Kai Havertz set up one and then scored himself as Arsenal all but sealed their place in the Champions League final with a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.
The Gunners now have three points and a healthy goal difference ahead of ninth-placed Aston Villa in the long Champions League table with a game to play, meaning they will skip February's play-off round and resume the competition later in March.
Rice's second-minute strike – his first Champions League goal – after Havertz's break gave Arsenal the perfect start to the three points as the Gunners dominated a game in which they did not concede a single shot on target.
Rice fired Arsenal in front
Arsenal should have put more into Dinamo's net in the first half and Gabriel missed his best chance from close range. “It's an absolute babysitter,” Tim Sherwood told Soccer Special.
But just as the Emirates were getting nervous about their one-goal buffer, Havertz headed home Gabriel Martinelli's vicious delivery to double their advantage.
Havertz scored his second goal
It was not only a goal in back-to-back home games for the German, but also Arsenal's 500th goal under Mikel Arteta.
And as the game entered stoppage time, substitute Leandro Trossard's cross found Martin Odegaard who slotted home from close range – the Arsenal captain scoring his first goal from open play for club or country since last April.
The win means Arsenal can go into their final Champions League game away to lowly Girona next week with a bit of riding on it.
Why is Arsenal's exact position important?
Within the top eight, the higher a team finishes in each of the qualifying groups, the better their path – on paper – to the later stages of the tournament.
If the team finishes first or secondwill skip the knockout playoffs and play one of the winners of the matches in between 17/18 and 15/16 seeds in Round of 16.
However, if the team finishes seventh or eighthwill skip the knockout playoffs and play one of the winners of the matches in between 9/10 and 23rd/24th seeds in Round of 16.
Who would Arsenal play for right now?
Arsenal are currently in third place, meaning that if they stay in this position until the end of the league stage next Wednesday night, they would face the winners of the play-off between 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th.
The teams currently in those positions are Brest (13th), Borussia Dortmund (14th), PSV Eindhoven (19th) and Club Brugge (20th).
To determine who will play whom in the knockout rounds, it will be two a draw after the league stage.
First draw Friday, January 31 at 11 a.m will determine which of the two options each team will receive in the knockout playoffs. For example, a team that finished 13th will find out if they are playing against a team that finished 19th or 20th.
The holders (9-16) will have the second leg at home, and those play-off round matches will be played on 11/12 and 18/19 February.
Teams seeded 1st through 8th will have to wait until Friday February 21 to find out their opponents.
That draw will then determine who they meet in the round of 16 and ultimately chart their full path to the finals.
When are the 2024/25 Champions League knockout matches?
- Round of 16: 4/5 and 11/12 March 2025
- Quarter-finals: 8./9. and 15/16 April 2025
- Semi-finals: 29/30 April and 6/7 May 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
Analysis: Could midfield goals be key for Arsenal?
We have entered the final two weeks of the January transfer window and the striker is still not here for Arsenal. Benjamin Sesko is staying at RB Leipzig, according to his current manager, Wolves are adamant that Matheus Cunha is not going anywhere.
Unless there is a dramatic turnaround, Arsenal face the very real prospect of not strengthening their frontline going into the season. So how do they react? Goals from midfield could be the answer.
Declan Rice's first Champions League goal brought back memories of the end of last season, when his impressive late run into the box and finish helped Arsenal come within two goals of the title. “His intent, his purpose, especially attacking the positions he takes, how he drives the ball, there's another bite to his game,” Mikel Arteta said.
Meanwhile, it was a nice moment for Martin Odegaard who ended a nearly 300-day wait for a goal from open play for club and country. “We see how much it meant to him,” added Arteta. “I hope it happens more often.”
Arsenal may need it. Two seasons ago, Odegaard, Gabriel Martnelli and Bukayo Saka scored at least 14 goals in the Premier League, boosting their charge for the title. If the Gunners want to be part of another, they might need that as a minimum.
Arteta: Arsenal have taken a huge step
Arsenal the manager Mikel Arteta:
“Very pleased overall. It's a huge step, what we did tonight. It put us in a really nice position before we play the last game in Girona.
“We scored three goals, created a lot of chances and dominated the game. And didn't concede a shot, and another clean sheet at home. All in all, we're really happy.
“It's really good, we made some fresh changes to give minutes to certain players who fully deserved them. Yesterday we had a few hiccups with players that we could have used tonight. Three were on the bench but they weren't ready to be used. Good is that we won, and now we go to Wolves.”
Cannavaro: We can't compare with Arsenal
Dinamo Zagreb the manager Fabio Cannavaro:
“The result, 3-0, is never good. But I asked them to work together, to stay involved in the game for 90 minutes. Conceding after two or three minutes was very difficult after. It was not easy, in the second half we tried change something and it was much better.”
On Dinamo who have the same number of points as Manchester City, Cannavaro said: “Do you want to put me under pressure? We have to do our best (to qualify). We play a home game against AC Milan and we have to try to win because we want to win for our supporters.
“They deserve to celebrate that sometimes. They are working really hard and I hope they can achieve something nice.
“Always facing a team like Arsenal is not easy. Even more so because the leagues are different. We are talking about a Premier League club and a Premier League team.
“We're trying to adjust our strategy, but sometimes it's not enough. It's technical and physical. We can't compare.”