Declan Rice hitting new levels for Arsenal as trophy hunt continues with Carabao Cup final against Man City - The Radar

Declan Rice provided another demonstration of the full breadth of his quality during Arsenal's Champions League victory over Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night. In fact it was all there in the period of 10 seconds leading up to his goal.

There was defensive awareness as he tracked Montrell Culbreath's run to protect against the counter, then anticipation and athleticism to steal in ahead of him and intercept the pass, then technical guile to control the bouncing ball and guide it inside the post.

Defensively and offensively, he continues to make an immense contribution in Arsenal's pursuit of silverware. Sunday's Carabao Cup final against Manchester City seemingly comes at a good time for him, in form and still finding ways to elevate his game.

That is no mean feat given the levels he had already reached. Rice was Arsenal's player of the year last season. This time he is gunning for the Premier League prize, rated as the bookmakers' favourite to win it ahead of Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes.

His role continues to evolve. Having played mostly at No 6 in his first season at Arsenal, he was pushed up to No 8 in his second. He is somewhere in between the two in his third, interchanging with Martin Zubimendi, with whom he has developed a strong understanding, and adapting to what each moment requires.