Declan Rice’s West Ham applause is purely performative after sickening Arsenal penalty incident
Declan Rice was seen applauding West Ham United fans at the London Stadium just moments after he begged for Callum Wilson’s equaliser to be overturned.
The midfielder looks likely to win his first trophy since leaving the Hammers, after beating his former side 1-0 on Sunday.
More importantly, West Ham’s defeat pushes them closer to Premier League relegation, but it may come down to one decisive moment that was purely unforgivable.
There was obviously lots riding on the game for both sides, but it’s almost a case of practice what you preach with Rice.
Going around saying you respect the Irons and then acting in such a way to try to get your hometown club relegated will never be forgotten.
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Declan Rice seen clapping fans at full-time
Rice was seen dragging and being physical in the box with West Ham players, but the moment that there was slight contact with David Raya, he was up in arms.
The 27-year-old has been immensely impressive for the Gunners this season, but let’s be real, Mateus Fernandes showed him levels in the middle of the park.
| Area of game | Mateus Fernandes | Declan Rice |
| Pass accuracy | 80% | 76% |
| Tackles | 4 | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 64% | 50% |
As seen in the table above, Fernandes deserved to be on the winning side more than Rice, who now is clearly putting on an act in front of West Ham fans.
As seen in the video below, Rice was seen clapping at full-time, a completely hypocritical gesture considering his actions during the game.
Gamesmanship is part of football, but doing it against your former club when the stakes are this high, and then proceeding to show the fans respect, is pretty insulting.
Nuno knows how to pass Newcastle test
Next up for the Hammers is Newcastle away from home, a test which they passed with flying colours back at the start of November.
A 3-1 win sparked belief under Nuno Espirito Santo, but since then, the Irons have had to continue playing catch-up after a disastrous start to the season.
West Ham stats vs Newcastle in 3-1 win:
- Possession: 37%
- xG: 1.76
- Shots on target: 9
The Hammers went 1-0 down early on to Jacob Murphy’s goal before Lucas Paqueta’s finish sparked a comeback.
Nuno knows how to get the better of Eddie Howe, and growing discontent at Newcastle could be something that West Ham take advantage of.