MX23RW : Monday, December 16 05:10:23| >> :120:25288:25288:

Hammers are starting to hit hard says Declan Rice

United's form has improved as demonstrated by draw with Chelsea.

Declan Rice revealed West Ham are now "buzzing" after putting their dismal start to the season behind them.

The Hammers, who lost their opening four matches, got their first points on the board by beating Everton last weekend and followed that up with Sunday's goalless draw at home to high-flying Chelsea.

The Blues had won their previous five games but were fortunate to escape with a point from the London Stadium after Andriy Yarmolenko missed a golden chance with a late header.

Teenager Rice, who excelled in his deep-lying midfield role, said:  "Without a doubt we could have had three points, with the chances we missed in the first half and obviously Yarmolenko's header at the end was a crucial turning point in the game.

"But other than that I thought we were excellent. We all knew our jobs and we all gave 100 per cent.

"We took so much confidence from last week. Once you get three points everyone is happy and we were so close to getting that again. Everyone was still buzzing.

"It feels a bit like two points dropped, but a draw is better than a loss. We've got Manchester United at home next week and that's a crucial game, so hopefully we can take the three points there."

Chelsea dominated possession in east London, so much so that midfielder Jorginho broke a Premier League record with 180 attempted passes.

It was a statistic that summed up a dreary display in which they created very little of note until subs Alvaro Morata and Ross Barkley forced late saves from Lukasz Fabianski.

"Of course we were disappointed," defender David Luiz told Chelsea TV. "We didn't play a fantastic game, we didn't create a lot.

"It was too slow, moving the ball to create the gaps or our movements without the ball, and that is why we couldn't score.

"I think our plan is fantastic but on Sunday we didn't play at our high level so that is why we didn't win.

"We know that many teams now are going to play against us this way, with a low block and trying to play on the counter-attack, so there was not a lot of space – but it's up to us to try to find a solution."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Andy Sims, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '3e07a7bd-b9b0-464a-83f5-b8d12ecdb34b');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Hammers are starting to hit hard says Declan Rice'});

ID:336546: cacheID:336546:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4595:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini gestures on September 16, 2018
Read Next:
Manuel Pellegrini rues missed chances
>
Read more about Declan Rice Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Aston Villa167452425-125
7Bournemouth157352320324
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!