Arteta and Moyes reactions to West Ham fans booing Declan Rice during Arsenal’s Carabao Cup defeat

West Ham manager David Moyes has come to the defense of the club’s fans following the booing of Declan Rice during Arsenal’s 3-1 defeat in the Carabao Cup at the London Stadium.

Rice, returning to face his former team, experienced a disappointing night as West Ham comfortably secured their victory.

The home crowd expressed their dissatisfaction, but Moyes emphasized the team’s strong performance, highlighting an own goal by Ben White and goals from Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen that secured West Ham’s lead before Martin Odegaard scored in injury time for Arsenal.

Rice, meanwhile, came on as a second-half substitute in what was his first appearance in front of West Ham’s supporters since his £105 million move to Arsenal in the summer.

And the former West Ham captain was booed and jeered by the home supporters during his time on the pitch.

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When asked about the negative response from West Ham’s fans towards Rice, Moyes said: ‘I think everybody is entitled to their form of opinion.

‘There isn’t a person in this stadium tonight who doesn’t recognise that Declan is a top football player.

‘But there are a lot of West Ham supporters in there tonight who probably hoped that he didn’t do so well and their team won.

‘From that point of view, you’re always going to get mixed feelings and different opinions.’

Asked if he was surprised or disappointed about the reception Rice received, Arteta said: ‘No, and it’s not for me to judge that.’