Declan Rice left West Ham for Arsenal for £100m last summer (Photo: Getty)
Mikel Arteta was delighted to see West Ham fans show respect toward Declan Rice after his star performance in Arsenal’s 6-0 win.
The Gunners thrashed the Irons at the London Stadium on Sunday – a statement win as the title race begins to really heat up.
Rice was instrumental to Arsenal’s success, setting up William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes’ goals in the first half, before brilliantly scoring the final goal of the game.
The defensive midfielder didn’t celebrate his goal out of respect and was subbed off just moments later, with the majority of home fans applauding their former captain as he went off the pitch.
This contrasted the other encounters between the two clubs this season, where the 25-year-old was subject to jeers.
‘I’m really happy with him [Rice]. I know that it was an emotional day for him because he loves West Ham,’ Arteta said in his post-match press conference.
‘But he had to focus on what he had to deliver. Set pieces were one of those. I was really pleased to see the class of the crowd to give him what he deserves.’
Rice is not Arsenal’s first-choice set-piece taker, but with both his assists coming from corners he has given Arteta some food for thought.
‘Yeah that is something that we knew and could imagine,’ Arteta said of the England international’s set-piece skills.
‘It depends as well on who plays in the team and the height we have in the box. He used to do it at West Ham.
More Trending
‘It’s always difficult to come back to your old club. The fans were really good to him. When he went to take the corner they clapped him so it’s great to see that kind of reception.
‘He loves this club so much and I know what it meant to him to play today.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Arsenal news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.