Reported Chelsea target Declan Rice played a considerable role in Tammy Abraham scoring his first goal of the game yesterday evening.
Chelsea defeated West Ham 3-0 at Stamford Bridge after suffering back-to-back defeats to Everton and Wolves. It was a timely reminder of the Blues’ title ambitions this terms, even if the score-line does not reflect how the game played out.
The Hammers were in control through large periods of the game, with England international Declan Rice at the heart of that, holding and dictating from midfield, alongside skipper Mark Noble.
MORE: Video: West Ham’s Declan Rice scores the naughtiest training ground goal you’re ever likely to see
According to the Telegraph, Rice, formerly of Chelsea, is Frank Lampard’s number one transfer target. The report claims that West Ham have valued the 21-year-old at £80M.
Though this passage of play may not have left Lampard particularly impressed, Rice did get his first assist for Chelsea last night, at least of sorts. It was his lapse in concentration that allowed Tammy Abraham to run into the box untracked for his first goal.
Rice is caught ball-watching, not realising that Abraham has spun off in the direction of the goal, with Aaron Cresswell stuck in a 2-on-1 situation at left-back.
Pictures courtesy of the Premier League
It’s not a catastrophic error from Rice, but it’s a pretty clear indication that there’s still work to be done. You couldn’t expect him to be the finished article at such a tender age, of course, but if he’s to justify a £80M fee, he needs to do better in these kind of situations.
Top players can’t ball-watch.