Jamie Carragher applauds Arsenal star dubbed one of the best "on the planet" as Rio Ferdinand eulogises him

Arsenal made sure their stunning 3-0 win over Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium last week was not just a flash in the pan as they beat the Champions League holders 2-1 in Spain to complete a famous victory.

The Gunners emerged as 5-1 winners on aggregate as Bukayo Saka scored a stunning second-half goal to silence the Santiago Bernabéu. Vinicius Jr did get a goal back as he pounced on a William Saliba mistake but Arsenal’s solid defensive unit did not yield before Gabriel Martinelli sealed victory in stoppage time with a thundering finish into the bottom corner.

Declan Rice was the hero in the first leg as he scored two stunning free-kicks to put Arsenal well in control of the tie. He was named player of the match for that display and picked the award up again for his performance on Wednesday night in Madrid.

Rice applauded by Jamie Carragher as Rio Ferdinand eulogises over him

Posting on Instagram, Rice took a selfie with his second player of the match award with the caption “back2back.” The image has already picked up more than 560,000 likes as Rice earned acclaim from across the footballing world.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was one of those to respond, as he replied with four clapping emojis to signal how impressed he was by the former West Ham man on Wednesday night.

Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was covering the game on TNT Sports. He believes Rice has cemented himself as a great player by the way he stepped up in both games against Madrid

He said: "You need games like this in your career. You need to get to places like this to be properly judged. He's stood up against the holders of this trophy and he's not just competed, he's run the show, he's run the show in both games. He's put himself in another bracket."

The stats behind Rice’s stunning display

Former Arsenal and West Ham player Matthew Upson was also full of praise for Rice. He said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "What a two games to cement yourself as one of the best midfielders on the planet.”

Along with his two goals in the first leg, Rice made five interceptions in Madrid. No player had more while his four shots on target over the two legs was the joint-most. Things could have taken a turn in the first half when Rice was booked and conceded a penalty against Kylian Mbappe. However, after a lengthy VAR check the on-field referee was asked to look at the incident again as he overturned his original call and rescinded the yellow card shown to Rice.

On Wednesday, Rice enjoyed a stunning pass success rate of 96 per cent while also making two tackles, three clearances and two blocks. Madrid did not look to have any answers to Arsenal with Rice leading the charge. A two-legged clash now awaits with Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals. Luis Enrique’s side have already knocked out Liverpool and Aston Villa.