“The referee was against us”- West Ham’s Declan Rice blasts referee for Vladimir Coufal’s red card 2-0 defeat against Arsenal

“The referee was against us”- West Ham’s Declan Rice blasts referee for Vladimir Coufal’s red card 2-0 defeat against Arsenal

West Ham suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat against Arsenal in a high-intensity clash at the Emirates stadium o slip down the Top-4 spots for the first time this season. The Hammers were largely outplayed by the Gunners throughout the match and West Ham skipper, Declan Rice provided an honest assessment of his team’s performance on the night, while also calling out referee Anthony Taylor for a couple of poor decisions on the field.

Declan Rice, who was once again the best player on the night for West Ham, felt hard done by the referee, after he decided to award a second yellow card to his teammate Vladimir Coufal, for a challenge in which the defender seemed to get the majority of the ball, and only caught Alexandre Lacazette in the follow-through.

Declan Rice urged his teammates to step up after their humiliating performance against Arsenal

Vladimir Coufal's challenge on Alexandre Lacazette
Vladimir Coufal’s challenge on Alexandre Lacazette, which earned him a red card

VAR did not intervene and the penalty stood, which incensed the West Ham players even further, and they were left handicapped for the final 25 minutes.

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Speaking in the post-match press conference, Declan Rice said, “The referee was against us all night,” of Anthony Taylor.

Declan Rice
Declan Rice

Although he faulted the referee, Rice was also critical of his team’s performance and called on his teammates to do more in such high-quality matches, if they are to remain in the Top-4 spots cometh the end of the season.

“Not good enough tonight, nowhere near the level that’s required to be a top-four team. You can’t come to a place like Arsenal and let them impose the game on you like we did tonight.”

“We just made bad decisions across the pitch, really. Giving the ball away cheaply, taking too many touches, not putting the ball in the box, [being] soft, not making tactical fouls. Just all-round, a night of it,” finished off Declan Rice making the blunt admission that they were the deserving losers.

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