- West Ham fans booed Declan Rice during their 2-0 win against Arsenal
- Rice brought down Emerson Palmieri in the penalty area and conceded a penalty
- Watch out Liverpool and Arsenal! Man City are ready to do what they always do and hit top gear at this stage of the season – Listen to It all starts
West Ham fans made fun of their former midfielder Declan Rice during their 2-0 win against Arsenal on Thursday evening.
Arsenal missed the chance to leapfrog Liverpool and regain top spot at the top of the Premier League, while Liverpool were two points clear after their win against Burnely in midweek.
But it was a tough night for Arsenal and Rice, who gave away a penalty against his old club in the sixth minute of extra time after bringing down Emerson Palmieri in the penalty area.
The 24-year-old appeared to slip on the wet surface before charging wildly in and tripping the West Ham defender who had entered Arsenal's penalty area.
Referee Michael Oliver then pointed to the spot, sending the Hammers fans behind the goal into delirium, with some brutally mocking their former midfielder by chanting his name.
West Ham fans mocked Declan Rice during their 2-0 win against Arsenal on Thursday
The ex-Hammers midfielder conceded a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time after bringing down Emerson Palmieri in the Arsenal box
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'Declan, Declan Rice': They shouted as Said Benrahma picked up the ball and prepared to take the penalty.
Fortunately for Rice, the West Ham striker was unable to convert the penalty, with David Raya producing an excellent diving save to deny the Irons a third goal.
Since his historic £105million move to Arsenal in the summer, Rice has been crucial to Mikel Arteta's side and could help them achieve silverware this season after the Gunners fell short in the 2022/2023 campaign.
Thursday marked the second time Rice has lost to his former club since leaving, after the Gunners suffered a 3-1 defeat in the EFL Cup earlier this season.
Rice has made 27 appearances for Arsenal so far this season, providing three goals and two assists in all competitions. Arteta praised the midfielder earlier this week, claiming that he right to 'go crazy' to sign the midfielder.
“I like his presence on the field,” he said of Rice. “He's there and there's something special about him. I felt it when I played against him, that's why I was angry to sign him.'
“You get a feeling about players and I wanted him to be part of our team.
'If they put a price tag on you, you have to bear it and that is not easy. He did that brilliantly.'
Rice, who moved to Arsenal from West Ham for £105 million last summer, was praised by his manager Mikel Arteta in midweek
The Gunners scored a goal in controversial circumstances after the ball appeared to go out of play ahead of Tomas Soucek's opener
The decision had Arteta seething, with the Spaniard calling the VAR technology 'not good enough'
West Ham, meanwhile, are in red-hot form after back-to-back wins against Manchester United and Arsenal, with Tomas Soucek putting the visitors ahead after 13 minutes.
It was a goal that caused much controversy, with Arteta taking another swipe at VAR after the ball appeared to go out of play before Jarrod Bowen passed it back to Soucek, who smashed it into the Arsenal goal.
“If the technology we have at the moment is not good enough to give us that answer (or the ball has gone out of bounds), we have to win the game without it,” the Arsenal boss said after the match.
'I have not seen it. They say it's not final. It's a shame that with the technology we have it's not as clear so we can tell if it's out or in.”
'It's finished. It's gone. There's nothing we can do about it now.'