West Ham United fans are not happy that Declan Rice moved to their London rivals Arsenal, and they let him know it when his club visited the London Stadium for the EFL Cup.
Former Hammer Declan Rice comes on to a mixture of boos and clapping from West Ham fans pic.twitter.com/BFsykqp4vD
— West Ham Football (@westhamfootball) November 1, 2023
Hammers won the match, 3-1, to advance to the quarterfinals, but that is not the only story that stood out during the night.
Rice was a huge West Ham hero, and that's one reason why many believe he will get a warm welcome. After all, he spent his youth with the Hammers and helped them win the 2023 Europa League.
The 24-year-old moved to Arsenal during the summer, hoping to win major trophies.
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Gratitude is not what many West Ham fans in the stadium felt. His former manager, David Moyes, was expecting a warm reception for Rice, too.
"You've got to remember this is the man who lifted this club's first European trophy in more than 50 years," said Moyes before the Arsenal match kicked off.
"He should be welcomed back with open arms. We're all looking forward to seeing him again."
The manager explained after the game that fans might just be trying to distract Rice.
Moyes on West Ham fans' reception for Rice: "Everyone is entitled to their form of opinion. There isn't a person in the stadium who doesn't recognise that Declan Rice is a top football player."
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) November 1, 2023
He adds that he thought boos might have been an attempt to put him off his stride.
Internet reacts to West Ham fans' reactions
The consensus is that Rice is a West Ham legend, and Hammers fans should not disrespect him.
Many people were baffled by these reactions.
To the people who said “let’s boo on 41 minutes”, the people who booed when he came on and booed every touch… what did Declan Rice do to deserve that? He was exemplary, on and off the pitch, a captain and a winner for WHU and made more than £100m in a transfer. Come on!!!
— Lee Clayton (@LeeClayton_) November 1, 2023
To those Westham fans booing Declan Rice -you should be ashamed.
If you don't want to clap him, then that's up to you, but you don't need to Boo him.
He's been a loyal servant for us, captained us winning our first major trophy in over 40 years, he does not deserve being booed.— FPL 2 Guys 1 Cup (Sham) ⚒ (@FPL2Guys1Cup) November 1, 2023
Fair play to Declan Rice for clapping the West Ham fans pic.twitter.com/L8nqk7NYqp
— S👻 (@scrapytweets) November 1, 2023
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