West Ham's Declan Rice proud to prove a point to Chelsea after being released

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Ken Dyer9 April 2018

West Ham moved another significant step away from the Premier League relegation places with a point at Chelsea but the 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge had added satisfaction for Declan Rice.

The 19-year-old Republic of Ireland defender was outstanding alongside Angelo Ogbonna at the heart of West Ham’s defence against the club he played for as a junior.

“I used to go to Chelsea to watch games as a young kid,” explained Rice. “I joined them when I was seven but was released at 14 so it did mean something special to play against them.

“I felt I went back to Stamford Bridge and made a statement. I was happy with my performance and I don’t feel I need to prove anything anymore.”

Rice played a considerable part in a resilient defensive display, with goalkeeper Joe Hart back to his best as he made several outstanding saves in front of watching England assistant manager Steve Holland.

That performance will give England boss Gareth Southgate food for thought as he ponders his squad for the World Cup in Russia this summer.

“Without a doubt Joe should be England’s number one goalkeeper at the World Cup,” he said. “The way he played against Chelsea, some of the saves he made, were on another level and his tournament experience will be invaluable.

“My opinion is that, judging him on that performance, it would be silly not to play him in Russia.”

With six points separating West Ham from the bottom three, the pressure has eased but Rice knows there is work to be done, with 19th-placed Stoke the visitors to the London Stadium in a week.

“We have another big game against Stoke in a week’s time and we have to focus on that,” he said. “Three points from that game would make things a bit easier. Confidence is high now though, especially after the three weeks off and the few days away we had in Florida for warm weather training.

“We used that time to really train hard and get together as a group. We said while we were out there that when we go back, we need to be ready for the last part of the season and we’ve done that so far.

“We’ve stayed together, we’re working hard and we’ve picked up four points from the last two games. There is a confidence around the place and we want that to continue.”

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