Arsenal's hero in their 3-0 Champions League first-leg quarterfinal triumph against Real Madrid, Declan Rice, revealed he had ignored specific instructions from set-piece coach Nicolas Jover before scoring two sensational free-kicks at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.  

Jover, the mastermind behind Arsenal's set-piece domination this season, had signalled for the ball to be crossed into the box. Cameras caught him gesturing to Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard as the trio stood over the ball, appearing to discuss a plan. But Rice, who had never scored a direct free-kick in his previous 338 professional appearances, had other ideas. He ignored Jover's instructions, fancied himself, and went with his guts as he produced a jaw-dropping curler, taking The Gunners 1-0 up in the 58th minute. 

"We were planning to cross the ball to the back post," Rice said of his first goal when asked why Jover was making a gesture to curl the ball while standing in the technical area as Rice and Bukayo Saka lined up the free kick. "He wanted us to reverse-cross it, but I stood with Bukayo and said, 'It doesn't feel right to cross the ball here.'

"I looked at the wall and at (Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut) Courtois, and I see that space for the right foot around the outside of the wall. And Bukayo said, 'If you feel it, take it.' I said, 'You know what, I'm going for it.' If you don't take the risk, you don't score."

Just 11 minutes later, he struck again; this time with a thunderous effort from another free-kick, once again leaving the Real Madrid goalkeeper helpless. The last time Arsenal scored intentionally from a direct free-kick was in September 2021, when Martin Odegaard did so against Burnley.

Rice's brace meant Arsenal have now scored 21 goals from set pieces across all competitions this season (excluding penalties); the most by any Premier League team, reflecting the work set-piece specialist Jover has put in since joining the London club from Manchester City at the start of this season.