At a Glance:
- Arsenal beat West Ham United on Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium.
- The result moves the Gunners a step closer to winning the Premier League title.
- There are some concerns about Declan Rice after what he appeared to do at full-time.
Arsenal fans were jubilant at the full-time whistle on Sunday afternoon after moving a step closer to winning the Premier League title following their victory over West Ham United.
However, they may have been left somewhat concerned by what Declan Rice did when walking around the London Stadium pitch at the end of the game.
The Gunners edged their way past the Hammers, courtesy of an 83rd-minute strike from Leandro Trossard. Withstanding a contentious VAR call in stoppage time, Mikel Arteta’s side saw the game out and extended their lead at the summit of the top flight to five points.
The North Londoners merely need to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace to be crowned champions. That said, there may now be a major spanner in the works for Arteta to deal with.
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Declan Rice seen clutching his back at full-time of West Ham vs Arsenal
At the full-time whistle in Stratford, the majority of the Arsenal players rushed towards the away end to celebrate with the joyous Gunners supporters. Arteta’s ensemble greeted the travelling fans, thanking them for their raucous support throughout the 90 minutes.
Rice was the exception. Reading the room, the England midfielder slowly walked around the London Stadium, applauding both sets of supporters, paying respect to his former employers in the midst of a desperate period for the East London club.
During this laboured lap of the London Stadium pitch, Rice was spotted holding his lower back. According to Football.London, the 27-year-old has been struggling with a minor back issue, along with several other niggles, in recent weeks.
The publication report that Rice was visibly in discomfort at full-time, ‘pausing, blowing out his cheeks and holding his lower back with both arms’.
Declan Rice was spotted holding his lower back at FT yesterday.
— Ryan Taylor (@RyanTaylorSport) May 11, 2026
Understand he's been managing discomfort (+ other small niggles) in recent weeks.
Some early positivity RE Riccardo Calafiori injury as he ran over to join in Arsenal's goal celebrations. ⬇️https://t.co/fVvW5I91l6
This will no doubt concern Arsenal fans. Rice has been outstanding in recent weeks, and while these excellent performances may show that he is capable of playing at a high level whilst dealing with injury issues, this doesn’t seem sustainable.
At some point, he’ll need to treat these recurring niggles and properly rest. This period of rehabilitation isn’t going to happen in the next few weeks, although it is possible that these fitness issues start to impact him and he’s not able to continue to produce at the level he currently is.
Riccardo Calafiori injury update after West Ham vs Arsenal
Ben White limped off during the first half at the London Stadium. Mikel Arteta stated after the game that the defender’s injury ‘doesn’t look good at all’.
Riccardo Calafiori also came off with yet another setback. The Italian was hooked at half-time for Cristhian Mosquera, and Arteta confirmed in a post-match interview that this was because of injury.
However, Football.London suggest that there isn’t huge concern around Calafiori’s injury, with the player running over to celebrate with his teammates after Trossard scored the winning goal. Had he been seriously injured, it’s unlikely he would’ve sprinted half the length of the pitch to join in with the celebrations.
It’s understood that Calafiori will undergo further checks at London Colney this week.
