Declan Rice has last laugh over West Ham boo boys after Arsenal embarrassment
It has been a case of if at first you fail, try and try again for Declan Rice when it comes to facing former side West Ham this season.
Since joining Arsenal in the summer, Rice has featured in a Carabao Cup defeat in November and a disastrous 2-0 defeat at the Emirates where nothing went right. It left the £105million man 90 minutes away from seeing out a stellar debut season in north London with one clear blemish - not getting one over on his old side.
That was until one of the most impressive away performances in Arsenal's entire history, with Rice right at the heart of it.
Statistics will show that during the Gunners' 6-0 win at the London Stadium, the England international registered two assists in a single game for the first time in his career. They will also show that when factoring in his own sumptuous second-half strike, it is the first time Rice has been directly involved in three goals in one game for the first time in his career.
And yet, that still doesn't do his performance justice.
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With his early touches jeered and all eyes on him, it would have been easy for Rice to crumble under the white hot spotlight of glares from disgruntled fans who once adored him. But that's not who Rice is, he's made of sterner stuff and that is exactly why he's is the most expensive addition in Arsenal history.
Piers Morgan may have felt compelled to respond, labelling the Hammers fans "classless" for the jeers, but it didn't seem to impact the man himself.
It was Rice's corner that sent Arsenal on their way, with William Saliba in the right place to head home from close range. The pace and precision on the ball meant the French defender didn't have to do much to get the better of Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal.
Bukayo Saka's penalty was quickly followed by another Rice assist from another set-piece. His free-kick was whipped in with such accuracy all Gabriel Magalhaes had to do was glance it home and the Brazilian duly obliged.
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Declan Rice earned the applause of both sets of fans by the end of his sensational displayA stellar strike from Leandro Trossard meant Arsenal went in at the break with a four-goal cushion. That sent thousands upon thousands of home fans streaming out of the stadium before the break. They didn't return.
If any of the home faithful who stayed were hoping for a second-half revival, Saka's second and the Gunners' fifth quickly dashed those ambitions.
And then it happened. The moment everyone donning Claret and Blue was dreading; when Trossard and Martin Odegaard let Ben White's cut-back evade them, it looked like the chance had gone, until Rice curled home a sensational strike to put Arsenal six goals to the good.
He didn't celebrate and if anything, looked a tad embarrassed. Only his former team-mates were the ones who should have had such a feeling, as Rice's strike rendered the Hammers to their heaviest home defeat since 1963. He was withdrawn soon after, and the boos that greeted his arrival turned to cheers and applause - from both fans.
During his post-match media duties, Mikel Arteta admitted that Rice "loves West Ham so much".
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And though that is of course true after a decade on the books, he is Arsenal's main man now and operating as such.
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