Declan Rice has revealed what David Moyes said to his West Ham United players following their heavy defeat against Newcastle United in midweek.
The Hammers suffered a 5-1 loss at home against the Magpies but bounced back to claim a “big win” against Fulham at Craven Cottage the following Saturday.
Harrison Reed’s own goal in the first-half separated the two sides as West Ham built a three-point cushion from the relegation zone with nine games left for Moyes’ men to secure their Premier League status.
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Rice gave an insight into what the mood in the home dressing room was like following the Newcastle loss, saying: “The manager came in and it was really quiet, everyone was numb, hurt. It was a bit of a freak game because we started really well so to lose like we did was really tough to take.
“In fairness, the manager came in and said: ‘I hope you’re all ready to play Saturday. If I was you, I’d be wanting to go and play tomorrow’. That’s my mentality, too, and I know it is for a load of the others.
“The beauty of football is that you always get another game to prove your worth and after that defeat, we knew how big [Fulham] was. To win that, fair play to the manager because there was a lot of pressure on him, a lot of pressure on us. It was a big win.”
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