Rio Ferdinand compares Declan Rice to Steven Gerrard after Arsenal moment spoke volumes

Former defender Rio Ferdinand believes s produced one of the standout performances of his career against Real Madrid earlier this week.

Few had given 's side a chance ahead of their quarter-final tie due to the La Liga club's pedigree in the competition and the huge number of injury concerns at Arsenal. However, Rice stunned the whole of Europe when he scored an outrageous free-kick to give his side the lead at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.

If the free-kick wasn't enough, he then scored a second on 70 minutes and rounded off the display with a third shortly after. Arsenal now boast a three-goal advantage going into next week's second league at the Bernabeu, and while the tie is far from over, they have certainly given themselves a huge chance of making the semi-finals.

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ferdinand singled out Rice for deserved praise and noted that the top midfielders of his generation produced standout and memorable moments throughout their careers. He believes Rice has now done that in an Arsenal shirt.

"Every top player needs a standout moment," Ferdinand said on . "[Steven] Gerrard had loads, [Frank] Lampard had many of them and [Paul] Scholes had many of them.

"He hadn't had that yet in an Arsenal shirt. This was that moment. I don't think he needs to be as good or anything like Gerrard because I don't think that can be reincarnated.

"But Declan Rice can be Declan Rice. That can be a hell of a player still. I think his influence on this Arsenal team is huge."

Arsenal must first navigate a clash with Brentford on Saturday evening, but as they trail by 11 points in the table, Arteta can certainly be forgiven should he have one eye on next week's clash in Madrid due to the magnitude of the opportunity in their hands. If Arsenal get the job done next week, they will contest their first semi-final in the competition since the 2008/09 season.