FA Cup third-round action saw the meeting of Premier League sides West Ham and Leeds United.
In the end, an injury-capped Leeds side conceded defeat to the Hammers on the back of goals from Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen.
Aside from Patrick Bamford, another notable absentee for Leeds was English international Kalvin Phillips.
The 26-year-old is Leeds’ prized possession and evidently, he was on the minds of fans, if this clip is anything to go by.
The clip features Whites fans inside the London Stadium poking fun at West Ham midfielder Declan Rice with a comparison with Phillips.
In the clip, Rice can be seen standing near the away end, as Leeds fans chanted – “You’re just a sh*t Kalvin Phillips”.
Rice was part of a sturdy midfield pair alongside Phillips, one which anchored England all the way to the Euro final, so perhaps it’s not the harshest of comparisons.
Nonetheless, the midfielder’s reaction was a touch of class.
Rice has already established a reputation of being a humble individual, and his reaction furthers that.
Instead of hitting back, the midfielder opted to be a good sport and took the light-hearted chanting in his stride as he replied simply with a wide smile on his face.
@Kalvinphillips your mate @_DeclanRice took the bants well today! 😜 #mot #lufc #ALAW #westhamleeds pic.twitter.com/oltkEWl6lL
— Dan Leadbeater (@DannyLeadbeater) January 9, 2022
The reaction earned the applause of Leeds fans in the stadium, the same ones who were directing a chant at him merely seconds earlier.
Fans online were also impressed by Rice’s positive approach to the banter, and it might just have created a few new fans for the 22-year-old.
