Why Jude Bellingham fumed at Declan Rice as Arsenal star destroys Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid

Real Madrid, the entirety of the Spanish press, and most of the non-Arsenal supporting world could easily have convinced you that the score was not 3-0 heading into Wednesday's Champions League showdown. The entire week was full of talk about how this is what Madrid do and how much Arsenal would have to weather.

The reality was quite something else. They managed to put the Madrid narrative to one side and demonstrated exactly why they had been made tournament favourites among a group of more established opponents in the quarter-finals.

This was a game that had everything, very little, but more than enough at the same time. There was penalty and red card controversy throughout the first half but also nothing for Arsenal to be really scared of. David Raya hardly had to move except to snatch the ball out of the night sky.

On the break and there was danger there. . Declan Rice played like he heard the comparisons to Moises Caicedo, who will be in the Conference League on Thursday instead.

Arsenal really were in control. They had the tempo of the match and the tension and expectation in the air in their grasp. They shrugged off the apparent inevitability of Madrid and laughed it away. Those lucky enough to travel away to the Spanish capital were ringing out the ole's for spells of long possession.

It is a 90 minutes to go with the first leg that will be written into club folklore and rightly so. Here, football.london looks at some of the finer points of an evening that will never be forgotten, pouring over the details of some parts which may still have gone unnoticed.

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Saliba owns Mbappe

Penalty appeals, a roaring stadium, controversy at every turn, and a semi-final place at stake. with all of this noise and so much at stake, it isn't a surprise that nerves were on show. Myles Lewis-Skelly overcooked a throw-in within the first 90 seconds, launching a ball out of play by the Madrid corner flag when trying to find Thomas Partey early on.

That was a sign of things just being ramped up a bit more on a young player, or maybe that is overanalysing a simple throw. The coolest man on the field was William Saliba, regardless.

If Carlo Ancelotti is the image of composure then Saliba embodied this for his side. Whilst David Alaba was throwing himself into tackles, Antonio Rudiger was trying to fight the moon, and Raul Asencio was dragging down Mikel Merino in a different postcode to the ball ahead of Bukayo Saka's penalty, Saliba was stoney faced and rock solid.

Next to Jakub Kiwior, who had also found some moments too much for him, sending a cross-field pass out of play under very little pressure, Saliba was dominant. As Madrid sent crosses swinging into the Arsenal box he was there to organise along with David Raya.

They showed incredible presence to wipe out the aerial threat coming in from wide at every opportunity. Raya jumped higher to claim and Saliba headed out when it was further out.

Then, when put into a race on the floor, Saliba twisted his body to go alongside Mbappe, sprinting towards his own goal. The Madrid forward took a good touch before Saliba appeared behind him. Striding with his long legs, Saliba leant over his international teammate, stretching out over Mbappe's knee and then not even needing to clear the ball.

Instead, he seemed to grow. Saliba extended himself and covered Mbappe, shutting off a route to the byline. He shepherded the ball out of play and turned a potentially dangerous position into a goal-kick. If anything summed up the way in which Arsenal dealt with Madrid and Mbappe over he 180 minutes, it was this show of class and excellence.

Rice smashes Bellingham

. It is typical of his attitude and mentality to even go all out when there are much bigger things at stake.

He carries that into every part of every performance. Be it stepping up to take those free-kicks last week, Rice doesn't have a second or lower level.

When Arsenal's squad has disintegrated around him at times this season through injury, Rice has never taken a backwards step. Here was no different.

Rice crowded Jude Bellingham on the edge of his own box within three minutes, bodying him to the floor along with Thomas Partey. He hustled and bustled with all the energy that is standard of a Rice performance and it set Arsenal on their way to a hugely promising start to the night.

Bellingham, who is so central to England's midfield along with Rice, seemed stunned at what had just happened. His physicality and ball-carrying is one of his biggest weapons and it could have been a promising attacking position if Rice had not slammed the door shut so quickly.

Looking up from the floor, Bellingham showed his shock at not being awarded a free-kick after being shrugged out of possession. Nothing was given as Arsenal streaked forward themselves.

Rice vs Bellingham Vol. 2

There should be no surprise that the two midfield engines were back face-to-face before long.

After Rice had been called up for seemingly fouling Mbappe in the Madrid penalty area, the pair were left to wait, along with everyone else, whilst VAR did its thing, extremely slowly.

Rice had already protested his innocence strongly. He was quick to tell Mbappe and referee Francois Letexier "I didn't touch him." he then continued to hold his hands up, saying "I swear, I swear."

In the heat of the moment, Rice and Bellingham were within inches of each other, pointing, waving their warms, fighting their case, and talking. Rice didn't bother to cover his mouth but Bellingham tried to.

They didn't come to blows and there wasn't even quite a push or shove involved. What there was, was plenty of passion and debate around of the match's biggest flashpoints.

Their personal duel did not end there. Bellingham came through Rice in an attempt to win the ball early on in the second half before then holding onto his leg as Rice tried to stand up. There was a glance over his shoulder as Bellingham got up. A few minutes later and Rice galloped back to stop Bellingham from getting a shot away from a tight angle.

His leg came in at the perfect time and a corner was conceded. Another victory to Rice.