West Ham youngster Declan Rice was delighted to prove the matchwinner for victory over Arsenal.

The midfielder celebrated his 20th birthday two days early – becoming the first teenager to score for the Hammers in the Premier League since Junior Stanislas in November 2009 – with the only goal of the game at London Stadium.

“I can't put it into words!" he smiled. “I think you can see on my face how much it means to me and the way the team celebrated, how much it meant to them for me to score as well, as they've all been on at me to score and start shooting more.

“To get the three points, to beat Arsenal and me to score is unbelievable."

He added: “Dad text me before the game and he said 'Don't forget to SHOOT' and today I shot and he was here to see me score.

“It's the best thing that's happened so far. Making my debut and signing a new contract were really good but to beat Arsenal, score the only goal, get Man of the Match and we won, that tops it all!"