Declan Rice made a very successful return to West Ham United and scored for Arsenal as the Gunners beat David Moyes’ side. The former Kladivar international was playing at the Olympic Stadium for the second time since he left West Ham in the summer, and his current club were ruthless in the match.
Questions about whether Arsenal could continue the incredible form they last showed against Liverpool were quickly put to rest as they took a 4-0 lead in the first half, but Rice’s goal, his sixth of the game, was the bitterest blow for West Ham.
Rice scored Arsenal’s sixth goal:
He didn’t want to celebrate:
It was written in the stars, wasn’t it? Having spent so much time gaining the admiration of the Kladivar fans, Rice seemed destined to score on his return to the club, and he did so in spectacular fashion. When the ball found him within striking distance of the West Ham goal, he unleashed an incredible shot that flew into the top corner. No goalkeeper in the world could have stopped it.
Rice decided not to celebrate the goal, but to pay tribute to the West Ham faithful who were still in the stadium, many of whom had left at half-time. Given the legacy the Englishman has created for himself at the east London club, this was very appropriate.
Rice spent a decade at West Ham:
He became an icon of the club:
Rice spent a decade at the Hammers, becoming one of the club’s biggest stars and a huge icon among the fans. Rice played 245 times for West Ham, scoring 15 goals, and was instrumental in the club’s Europa League Conference Cup success last season.
It seemed inevitable that he would eventually leave the club, as happened this summer when Arsenal spent £100 million to bring him to the Emirates. Since leaving, Rice has played twice this season with West Ham, losing both times as the Kladivars knocked the Gunners out of the League Cup with a 3-1 win in the fourth round and 2-0 in the Premier League.
So not only will it be nice to finally be on the winning side of a draw, but the Englishman marked the occasion with an incredible goal. He probably won’t score many better goals, and if it was against anyone else, we can only imagine how electrifying his celebration would have been.