During Martin Odegaard’s successful penalty conversion in Arsenal’s victory over Crystal Palace on Monday, observant fans have taken note of Declan Rice’s distinctive positioning.
Arsenal secured their second consecutive league win with a 1-0 triumph against Roy Hodgson’s Palace at Selhurst Park.
Odegaard secured the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the second half after Eddie Nketiah was fouled by goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
Fans were intrigued by the peculiar stance adopted by Rice, who positioned himself directly behind the ball.
The accomplished midfielder maintained a crouched posture as Odegaard confidently dispatched the penalty into the net, sparking discussions among supporters about the tactic.
Rice’s stance during his teammate’s penalty sent social media wild as people online tried to work out what he was doing.
One Twitter user wrote: “He’s definitely powering up.”
A second questioned: “What is he trying to do there.”
A third added: “Was saying his final prayers so the penalty would go in.”
A fourth commented: “He’s playing cricket.”
Another joked: “Spider man?”
His stance aside, Rice produced a dominant performance in the middle of the park, with Mikel Arteta showering him with high praise following the result.
Speaking after the game, he said: “I thought he was fantastic. He really dominated the game.
“He bossed the midfield and dominated the game. He was very influential, both attacking and defending. Today he played a different position to last week because of what we expected from Palace and what we needed today, and I think he was really good.”
The Gunners resume their league campaign on Saturday when they host Fulham. They then entertain Manchester United the following weekend in their first big clash of the new season.