Arsenal well and truly got revenge over West Ham United with a 6-0 thrashing at the London Stadium as Declan Rice netted against his former club on Sunday (February 11).
The Hammers have proven to be tricky opposition for Mikel Arteta’s men. They beat the north Londoners 2-0 at the Emirates in December and knocked them out of the Carabao Cup a month before.
However, Arsenal had no trouble dealing with David Moyes’ side today and ran the Irons ragged away from home. Their first goal arrived in the 32nd minute through William Saliba.
The French defender met Rice‘s brilliant corner at the far post to head his side in front. It was deserved given the Gunners dominated proceedings in the early stages.
Arteta’s men were awarded a penalty in the 38th minute when West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski brought Bukayo Saka down in the box. The English winger was tasked with putting his poor penalty record against the hosts to one side.
Saka did just that, sending Fabianski the wrong way with a confident spot-kick. He wore a sigh of relief after last season’s ill-fated penalty miss in the same stadium that led to a 3-3 draw.
The Hammers conjured up a comeback draw on that occasion having been 3-0 down at halftime. They fell further behind in the 44th minute when Gabriel Magalhaes got the final touch to send the ball past Fabianksi following Rice’s inch-perfect free kick.
Arsenal gave Moyes’ men a mountain to climb just three minutes later. Leandro Trossard cut onto his right foot and delivered a fine finish to cap off a remarkable first half for the visitors. Thousands of West Ham fans left the London Stadium in dismay after that goal.
It was more of the same in the second half and Saka got himself a brace in the 63rd minute. The England international was picked out by Martin Odegaard and he drilled a low shot past Fabianski to put his side 5-0 ahead.
However, today was all about Rice and his return to the London Stadium following his departure last summer. He scored the pick of the bunch in the 65th minute to further humiliate his former club.
Rice pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the box and smashed home a rocket of a shot that left Fabianski with no chance. He was reserved in celebration but it was a hell of a way to show his former employers what they’ve been missing.
Arsenal’s win saw them move on to 52 points, level on points with Manchester City but with an inferior goal difference. They sit third, two points behind leaders Liverpool after 24 games.
One fan alluded to Arteta’s side getting revenge:
“Arsenal have taken this REVENGE thing too seriously.”
Another fan hailed Rice’s performance:
“Two assists, one goal… Rice is the signing of the season.”
Here’s how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the north Londoners’ redemption story against the Hammers:
Paul Scholes lauds Rice’s showing in Arsenal’s win against West Ham
Rice grabbed himself two impressive assists alongside his thunderbolt goal in Arsenal’s drubbing of West Ham. It was an all-round stellar performance from the former Hammers captain.
Manchester United icon Paul Scholes was pleasantly surprised by Rice’s set-piece delivery during the game. He said (via TBR Football):
“Declan Rice’s delivery has surprised me a little bit, it’s been some fantastic balls in and that’s not something I knew he had in his locker. Set pieces have been where West Ham have really struggled.”
Rice, 25, has been shining for the Gunners since joining from West Ham in a reported £105 million deal last summer. He’s taken his tally for the season to four goals and five assists in 33 games across competitions.
Thank You!