'Declan Rice produced a Steven Gerrard moment!' - Rio Ferdinand heaps praise on Arsenal midfielder after stunning Real Madrid brace

Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice for his brace against Real in the Champions League, describing his display as a "Steven Gerrard moment". The Liverpool legend made his name by scoring outlandish goals in huge games, just as Rice did in midweek.

Rice, a £100 million signing from West Ham in the summer, has impressed since moving across London, and Ferdinand believes that he has now truly arrived as a top player for Arsenal, as they stand just 90 minutes from the Champions League semi-finals.

Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Ferdinand said: "Every top player needs a stand-out moment and you go, 'I remember where I was that day when Declan Rice done that'. He hadn't had that yet in an Arsenal shirt. This was that moment for him. To then see him grab a game like that… I wonder what that does for him moving forward now. He's done it. Confidence-wise, it does a lot."

Arsenal play Brentford this weekend before they meet Madrid for the second leg in Spain next week.