Declan Rice revealed that West Ham had some extra motivation ahead of their Europa League win against Lyon that booked their place in the semi-finals.
The Hammers were sensational in France, winning 3-0 on the night to give them a 4-1 victory on aggregate. Rice got on the scoresheet to double the lead after Craig Dawson’s headed opener, before Jarrod Bowen put the result beyond doubt after the break.
In the first leg at the London Stadium, Lyon stiker Moussa Dembele was seen winking after Aaron Cresswell was sent off in soft circumstances.
Ahead of the return fixture, Lyon’s official Twitter account replied to a tweet from the Europa League previewing the second legs and suggested it was certain they would get past West Ham. They posted: “Are you really asking like there’s a chance we don’t go through?”
These were all things that the West Ham players noted ahead of the trip to France and they did their talking on the pitch with a dominant display that sets up a last-four clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.
“There were a few incentives for us to go out there and win,” Rice said.
“Obviously Dembele winking at the camera in the first leg, and their Twitter admin somehow saying that they don’t see how they’re not going to get through.
This aged well😂👍 https://t.co/oYNOAE4DzK
— Declan Rice (@_DeclanRice) April 14, 2022
“Them things come back to bite you. We stayed quiet, put in a performance and now West Ham are in the semis. What more do we want?”
After the match, Rice mocked Lyon’s account with a tweet of his own. He said: “This aged well.”
