David Moyes hails Declan Rice after West Ham lose 3-2 to Southampton
West Ham suffered their sixth Premier League defeat of 2021-22 on Boxing Day at the hands of Southampton at the London Stadium.
The Hammers found themselves trailing thrice but only managed to draw level twice, and David Moyes singled out Michail Antonio and Declan Rice for praises after the 3-2 loss.
The England international midfielder was one of the bright sparks against the Saints, but he could not do enough to prevent his side from dropping all three points and losing ground in their top-four race.
Moyes said of Rice to BBC Match of the Day: “Really good – very good player, excellent young player who is developing incredibly well.”
Frustrating
The loss saw West Ham drop to sixth in the Premier League table, and a win out of their last seven games is simply not good enough.
Antonio came off the bench to grab the first equaliser, but the Hammers were made to pay for some of their defensive lapses.
Craig Dawson and Issa Diop have not been bad, but they are not first choices for a reason, and injuries to Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna have not helped.
West Ham will need to make quality additions to their defence and attack in January, and failure to do so will jeopardise their top-four chances.
Rice would have been frustrated with the result, and holding on to him should the Hammers miss out on Champions League football next season could prove difficult.
He deserves to be playing alongside some of the best players in the land, and if the London Stadium outfit cannot bring them to the team, he could be seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
Their academy graduate wants to be winning major silverware every season, and nobody would blame him if he moves on should the Irons fail to match his ambitions.
In other West Ham news, an amazing attacker is making personal arrangements for Hammers switch in January.
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