West Ham welcomed Declan Rice back to the London Stadium and then promptly sent him and Arsenal packing on the end of a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat.
Rice, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy as Hammers captain last season, was back at his old club for the first time since his £105million switch to the Gunners.
But he will not be getting his hands on the Carabao Cup this season after strikes from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, following an early own goal by Ben White, sent the north Londoners crashing out.
Rice started on the bench as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made six changes to his line-up for the fourth-round clash and the most of the damage was done by the time he was called upon.
West Ham took the lead after 15 minutes when Bowen’s corner was inadvertently headed past Aaron Ramsdale by White at the near post.
Gunners keeper Ramsdale, making his first appearance since the win at Brentford in the previous round, complained that Tomas Soucek had a hold of his shirt as the ball came over and he probably had a case but, with no VAR in operation, the goal stood.
White attempted to make amends but unfortunately for Arsenal his header at the other end was not quite as accurate and Lukasz Fabianski tipped it over the crossbar, with Eddie Nketiah heading the resulting corner wide.
After the break, Ramsdale made a fine save to deny Bowen, who was sent through by Lucas Paqueta, with White completing the clearance on the goal-line.
But the second goal arrived in the 50th minute when Ghana winger Kudus collected a long ball into the box from Nayef Aguerd, skipped past Oleksandr Zinchenko and rifled a low shot through the legs of Gabriel and into the net.
Rice was the only goalscorer the last time West Ham beat Arsenal, in the Premier League in 2019.
⚒️ @WestHam are cruising now!#EFL | #CarabaoCuppic.twitter.com/clmWmtsrvP
— Carabao Cup (@Carabao_Cup) November 1, 2023
“You should have signed for a big club” was the mischievous chant aimed at the 24-year-old when he came out to warm up.
Much of the build-up to the match centred around the reception the England midfielder would receive and when he was sent on in the 56th minute the boos were quickly drowned out by a standing ovation from most of the home fans.
But, before Rice had a chance to get into the game, West Ham had a third after Bowen collected White’s headed clearance and lashed it past Ramsdale via a deflection off Jakub Kiwior.
Martin Odegaard scored a consolation goal with the last kick but it was West Ham’s night as they marched into the quarter-finals.
Simons to Chelsea is on as Leipzig enter Elliott talksAccording to The Athletic, RB Leipzig have contacted Liverpool to enquire about the availability of Harvey Elliott this summer. While the talks are not currently in an advanced stage, discussions between the two teams are ongoing.Leipzig see the 22-year-old as a direct replacement for Simons, who is expected to leave the club before the summer ...
Barcelona to hold Ter Stegen crisis talks over 'injury document row'Barcelona are urging Marc-Andre ter Stegen to formally confirm his injury absence.Ter Stegen underwent back surgery on July 29th and was supposed to sign a document to be sent to La Liga's Medical Commission seeking approval for the arrival of a new goalkeeper.The issue lies in the recovery time, which according to the Catalan clu...
Man City loanee Simpson-Pusey ready to prove himself at Celtic: This is a big opportunityManchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is ready to prove himself at Celtic on loan this season as he looks to develop with the Scottish side.The 19-year-old, who made six senior appearances for City last term, has now become manager Brendan Rodgers' seventh summer signing as he aims to build a side wort...
Newcastle, Man Utd target Jackson closer to Chelsea exitChelsea and Nicolas Jackson are edging closer to parting ways.The Athletic says there is now a growing belief that Jackson will leave Chelsea before the summer market shuts.The Senegal international has been linked with Manchester United and Newcastle.Jackson has kept the door open to leaving the Blues this summer when discussing his future p...
Harry Maguire Determined to Stay as Man Utd Turn Down Five Transfer OffersHarry Maguire looks set to remain at Man United for the foreseeable future, with the club reportedly rejecting five transfer offers for the England international.After a torrid start to life at the club, Maguire, 32, has become somewhat of a cult hero at Old Trafford over the past couple of seasons.According to the Daily Mai...
Raheem Sterling Offered Shock Chelsea Exit Route by Former Blues ManagerRaheem Sterling could be on his way out of Chelsea, with a surprise exit route emerging courtesy of a former Blues manager Graham Potter.The 30-year-old is one of several current Chelsea players expected to leave this summer after an unsuccessful loan spell at Arsenal last season.Sterling scored just one goal and provided five...
Jack Wilshere Poised for Sensational Arsenal Return After Norwich Coaching ExitFormer Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is reportedly in line for a surprise return to the Emirates in a coaching capacity after stepping down from his role at Norwich City.The 33-year-old previously worked with Arsenal’s under-18s before leaving to join Johannes Hoff Thorup’s coaching staff at Norwich.Wilsh...
Chelsea SLASH Nicolas Jackson Asking Price With Three Clubs InterestedChelsea have reportedly reduced their asking price for striker Nicolas Jackson, opening the door for a potential move as three Premier League clubs circle.The 24-year-old has seemingly fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge following the arrivals of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.Chelsea no longer view Jackson as ‘unt...
Djeidi Gassama of Rangers celebrates scoring his team's third goal against PlzenRangers continued an unbeaten run stretching back to the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in April (W4, D5) with a 3-0 win over Czech side Viktoria Plzen in this one-sided UEFA Champions League (UCL) third qualifying round clash.The visitors were content to soak up the early pressure, but debutant Oliver Antman’...
Hojlund Urged to Battle Sesko for Man Utd Starting Role as Ex-Red Devils Star Backs 372m StrikerRasmus Hojlund has been challenged to compete head-on with Benjamin Sesko for a starting role at Man United by former defender Mikael Silvestre.Hojlund, 22, has failed to live up to the hype since making the move to Old Trafford from Atalanta back in 2023.The striker scored just ten goals and provided t...
- 1 Bayern Munich confirm Palhinha "transfer negotiations" as Spurs move closer
- 2 TIPS - Real Salt Lake VS Atletico San Luis
- 3 Arsenal legend backs Premier League rivals to become next invincibles and take prestigious title from Gunners
- 4 Daily Laugh - Raya nair
- 5 TIPS - Rigas Futbola Skola VS KuPS
- 6 Man Utd, Newcastle turn to Stuttgart striker Woltemade
- 7 TIPS - FC Kairat Almaty VS SK Slovan Bratislava
- 8 Transfer rumors, news: Chelsea face dilemma over Simons
- 9 TIPS - Orlando City VS Club Necaxa
- 10 Real Madrid Willing to Sell Rodrygo — But Only If Two Key Conditions Are Met