There was a lot of hype around the Premier League’s late kick-off between West Ham United and Newcastle United on Saturday.
Most of it centered around the battle between Hammers star Declan Rice and another emerging talent in the Newcastle midfield, Sean Longstaff.
Rice outshone Longstaff as he ran the game from midfield and scoring the opening goal in a comfortable 2-0 win.
Longstaff meanwhile was substituted at half-time.
Longstaff falls short
That’s not to say the Geordie does not have all the makings of a quality player. He does. But his talent has been over hyped by Magpies fans desperate for a homegrown hero.
That is no fault of Longstaff’s of course.
Comparisons were a non-starter
It was always a touch silly to even make comparisons given Longstaff has only just arrived on the scene while Rice has over 60 appearances under his belt aged just 20.
Martin Keown can take much of the blame for that after suggesting Longstaff could be better (Daily Star).
Regardless of any differing opinions on the matter the debate looks to have been settled by this excellent picture from the game.
Sssshhhhhush
It shows Rice wheeling away in celebration after scoring his second senior goal.
As he does so in the background you can see the back of a dejected Longstaff.
The perfectly framed image was then reflected by Rice’s celebration as he gestured to the visiting Geordies to keep quiet.
After this humbling they probably will.
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