Arsenal defeated Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in a hard-fought derby on Sunday night. In that derby, Declan Rice was subjected to abhorrent abuse directed at his partner Lauren Fryer.
Declan Rice appeared to be provoked by a fan on Sunday night (Image: Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
A Tottenham Hotspur supporter tried to taunt Declan Rice by showing him a picture of his partner during Sunday’s North London derby. Tensions were high at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday night as Arsenal secured a 4-1 victory over their fierce rivals.
Heckling and heckling are commonplace in the tense atmosphere of derby matches, but a Spurs supporter appeared to cross a line when he held up a picture of Lauren Fryer to Rice on his mobile phone.
A Shutterstock photo that was circulated on various social media platforms (and subsequently requested to be removed by the player/club) shows a person in the home section of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium leaning over a billboard, with an image of Rice’s partner appearing on a mobile phone screen.
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Rice, who was nearby, returned to the pitch with his back to the supporters. The film depicts Fryer taking steps to delete her Instagram account in 2024 after enduring a wave of vile online trolling about her appearance.
The horrific harassment of Fryer began in December 2023, with anonymous social media profiles telling Rice that she “could do more,” while others relentlessly criticized Fryer over her appearance. As a result, Flyer has made the decision to remove all photos from his account.
Although she has 105,000 followers on the platform, Fryer’s account has yet to post, and she is not active on Rice’s Instagram. Following the online abuse in April 2024, Ms Rice released a heartfelt statement in support of her partner, saying: “She is the love of my life and doesn’t need an upgrade.”
West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen’s partner Dani Dyer also defended Flyer, saying last year: “The trolling was really hard for her because she doesn’t put herself out there. I think it’s harder when you’re not in[the celebrity world]and you’re being attacked personally. I thought that was tough. She’s a really good mother and she keeps to herself. No one deserves to be criticized like that.”
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“It was so cruel… We didn’t talk about it much. All we talked about was how sweet and so nice and really gorgeous she looks. Plus, she’s Deku’s childhood sweetheart and you can see how much he loves her.”
Rice and Fryer originally crossed paths at school, started dating at the age of 17, and have been inseparable ever since. The Chessington-born WAG has supported Rice throughout his career, from his debut at West Ham to his recent impressive spell at Arsenal.
They welcomed a son together named Jude in August 2022 and have largely maintained their family life away from the spotlight. Despite a sneaky attempt at ridicule, Rice proved to be an important part of the Gunners’ side’s 4-1 win over Spurs on Sunday, playing the full 90 minutes in central midfield.
Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock for Arsenal in the 32nd minute, but Randal Kolo Muani immediately restored the balance. Victor Gokeres then gave his team the advantage again in the second period, but Kolo Muani once again made sure they had a point.
However, the Frenchman’s second shot was ultimately disallowed as it was pushed by Gabriel in the build-up, leaving the scoreline at 2-1 in Arsenal’s favor. Eze scored their second goal in the 64th minute, and Gökeres made a superb bid in the final stages to secure all three points with a resounding victory.
With this result, Arsenal now have a five-point advantage over Manchester City in the Premier League finals with 10 games remaining. Mikel Arteta’s next game is against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday 1st March.
With City having a crucial game against Arsenal in hand, there is no room for error as the league leaders look to win their first title in more than 20 years in May.
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