'Need to wake up' - Declan Rice on where Leeds United could have been against West Ham

WEST HAM captain Declan Rice admitted Leeds United caused his side problems in Monday night's clash at the London Stadium and could have been 2-0 up inside ten minutes.
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Leeds began brightly and Helder Costa lashed a shot over the bar before both Tyler Roberts and Patrick Bamford had goals disallowed for offside and the ball being out of play respectively.

But the Whites then conceded a 19th-minute penalty as Luke Ayling brought down Jesse Lingard which led to Lingard's opener and Rice said the opening goal allowed his side to settle against the Whites.

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Craig Dawson then doubled the Hammers advantage seven minutes later and Leeds were unable to make any breakthrough despite also creating plenty of good chances in the second half.

WINNING UGLY: West Ham captain Declan Rice with Leeds United's fellow England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips after Monday's Premier League clash at the London Stadium. Photo by Ian Walton - Pool/Getty Images.WINNING UGLY: West Ham captain Declan Rice with Leeds United's fellow England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips after Monday's Premier League clash at the London Stadium. Photo by Ian Walton - Pool/Getty Images.
WINNING UGLY: West Ham captain Declan Rice with Leeds United's fellow England international midfielder Kalvin Phillips after Monday's Premier League clash at the London Stadium. Photo by Ian Walton - Pool/Getty Images.

"Speaking honestly, I'm disappointed with the performance," England international midfielder Rice told Sky Sports

"Yeah we have won 2-0 and we have scored two goals but if you compare the two performances where we played Man City last week and we played Leeds here tonight, Man City we were brave, we took the ball, played well, had loads of chances and a real performance.

"And tonight Leeds caused us problems.

"The first ten they came out really really sharp, they had two disallowed goals and as players on the pitch you need to wake yourself up and get yourself into the game.

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"I think once that first goal came we settled down and I think now we are starting to learn to win ugly.

"We didn't play the best but we grind out them results, we have got a real solidity about us and long may that continue."

Rice added: "After the first ten minutes on the pitch as players we said to each other 'look, we need to wake up here, they could be one or two nil up'.

"Where we are trying to push for at the end of the season, if that would have been one or two nil, that would have been a hard way to come back against Leeds."

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