Declan Rice says Brighton played West Ham off the pitch in 'demoralising' 4-0 defeat for David Moyes' side Declan Rice said after the humbling 4-0 defeat that leaves West Ham just two points off the relegation zone: "Brighton played us off the pitch and m

Declan Rice said after the humbling 4-0 defeat that leaves West Ham just two points off the relegation zone: "Brighton played us off the pitch and made life difficult...to be out there was demoralizing."

Declan Rice was in a despondent mood after West Ham's 4-0 defeat to Brighton and apologized to the fans for a demoralizing performance.

West Ham captain Declan Rice conceded it felt "demoralizing" to have been "played off the pitch" by Brighton in their 4-0 defeat on Saturday.

The Hammers failed to muster a shot on goal in the second half as once the Seagulls hit the front, there was no response from the visitors.

Even at 3-0 up, Brighton created a hatful of chances with substitute Facundo Buonanotte hitting the crossbar and eventually Danny Welbeck grabbed the fourth with a fantastic finish from the edge of the box as West Ham chased shadows.

Rice conceded: "We were beaten by a better team. Brighton played us off the pitch and made life difficult. But that wasn't an acceptable performance. On days like today, you have to apologize to the fans as we've let the fans and the club down. I'm hurting. The lads are hurting. We thought we'd turned a corner as we've been playing better, winning 4-0 and then playing well in the cup. But this is a setback.