Declan Rice 'shouted no one likes you' right in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's face in the weekend's spiciest encounter
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Fans are convinced Declan Rice told Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 'no one likes you' in the closing stages of Tottenham Hotspur's 2-0 win over West Ham United.
Goals from Emerson Royal and Son Heung-min in the second half were enough to take Spurs back into the top four at the expense of Newcastle United.
It was a heated encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with tensions boiling over in added time. Ivan Perisic's late tackle on Vladimir Coufal saw both sets of players clash near the centre circle.
At the centre of it was West Ham captain Rice and Spurs midfielder Hojbjerg, who appeared to be on the receiving end of the worst insult of all.
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As the duo faced off and referee Michael Oliver attempted to calm things down, Rice shouted at his opponent twice. All Hojbjerg did was shrug and point as Oliver put his arm round Rice.
Supporters on social media believe the 24-year-old told the combative Hojbjerg that nobody likes him. The Denmark international is certainly a polarising character, although the Spurs faithful appear to love him.
One person said: "Oliver Skipp let him free for three minutes and he's giving it the big one."
Another put: "It's alright he'll take the three points."
A third tweeted: "Hojbjerg prefers it this way."
While another added: "I forgot he was on the pitch until he did this."
왜저래 진짜 울 호배 건드지 마삼 pic.twitter.com/YLNsuqzFl7
— 오아 (@no_jutdae) February 19, 2023
Spurs came into the game on the back of a 4-1 defeat to Leicester City in the Premier League and 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in their Champions League round of 16 tie.
They were without manager Antonio Conte on the sidelines, who will be taking an extended break to recover from gallbladder surgery in his native Italy.
Assistant Cristian Stellini took charge for the third time this season against West Ham and credited the players with taking more responsibility in Conte's absence.
He told Sky Sports: "They are focused. In this aspect I feel very good and comfortable because when I look the players in the eyes, I feel they are taking more responsibility because Antonio is not here.
"They also take care of me because my relationship with them is special, like every assistant manager needs. I can feel that the players want to do it also because they like when we work together."
Tottenham return to action against Chelsea on Sunday.
Featured Image Credit: Premier League
Topics: Declan Rice, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League
