It took 42 minutes for England fans to learn what Arsenal fans knew about Declan Rice

England opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday night and it took just 42 minutes for Three Lions fans to learn what Arsenal supporters already knew about Declan Rice.

As expected, the Gunners midfielder was Thomas Tuchel's go-to man for corners and that paid off in less than one half of football as Rice's pinpoint delivery was met by the head of Harry Kane to restore their nation's lead after being pegged back by Vatreni.

Rice's corner deliveries have been so deadly for Arsenal ever since he first took the walk over to the flag in a 5-0 win against Crystal Palace in January 2024 and it looks like England fans will appreciate that brilliance this summer.

England fans now know how useful Declan Rice corners are

Arsenal won the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years last season and a huge factor in that was their incredible dominance from set pieces, with one of the key players helping that being Rice.

His deliveries from both corners and set pieces have been so deadly for the Gunners with his crosses and set-ups leading to plenty of goals and big chances in a campaign that proved to be historic for Mikel Arteta's side.

However, with that brilliance came plenty of criticism from rival fans and the media as many claimed Arsenal's antics during set pieces situations, particularly corners, and just their overall ability to score from them are ruining football.

That prompted many to claim their title win should be marked with an asterisk because apparently scoring from set pieces isn't allowed for a team looking to secure silverware. Rice was so crucial in that and it was always foreseen that he would be the man standing over dead balls for England.

As expected, that was the case and to no surprise at all, Three Lions fans were suddenly delighted at the sight of those teasing crosses leaving the foot of the Gunners midfielder.

Rice took eight corners before being withdrawn after 72 minutes and created four chances, including the moment that saw Kane score his 10th goal at a World Cup. While that was the only moment the midfielder's corner deliveries ended in a goal, the remainder of his crosses were still incredibly deadly and nearly led to the net rustling on a number of occasions.

Arsenal fans have been aware of Rice's outstanding ability for so long and England fans appear to have only just discovered it. It didn't take long for the midfielder to make an impact from set pieces and there is no doubt he will continue to do so throughout the tournament for the Three Lions, just as he has done for the Gunners.

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