Alan Shearer highlights Arsenal star deserving a bonus for performance against Atletico

There are not many players as vital to Arsenal as Rice, who has already earned early praise from Patrick Vieira for how well he has started the season.

This time, though, it was not his midfield control that stood out. It was his ability to create chances from set pieces that caught everyone’s eye.

Rice picked up an assist by picking out Gabriel Magalhaes with a pinpoint delivery – something fans have grown used to seeing from him.

During Amazon Prime Video’s match commentary [21/10/25 21:39], Alan Shearer and co-commentator Jon Champion weighed in on the significant improvement in Rice’s deliveries.

Champion asked while Rice was lining up a free-kick: “I wonder if he’s on a bonus?”

Shearer replied: “If he’s not, he should be!”

Rice had not planned on becoming a set-piece specialist when he joined Arsenal. But now, there is no one better suited to the job.

The 2023 signing continues to add assists from dead-ball situations, and Arsenal keep benefiting every time.

Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes have formed a productive partnership

It is not hard to pick out which players in the Arsenal squad have the ability to cause problems when they link up.

Even with players like Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, Gyokeres, and Martin Odegaard in the squad, one of Arsenal’s most effective pairings has been Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes.

Gabriel remains a real threat in set-piece situations, as he showed again against Atletico. Rice was equally influential on the night.

The duo have now combined for four goals together over their time at the club. Their partnership is becoming something that teams across Europe are increasingly wary of.