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Manchester United great Paul Scholes has criticised Declan Rice, accusing the Arsenal midfielder of committing the “most annoying thing in the world” and setting off his confrontation with Morgan Rogers. The two England internationals were involved in a fiery exchange in the closing stages of Arsenal’s hard-earned 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday.

Scholes blasts Rice over cynical foul

The atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium boiled over in the final minutes of an intense London derby. With Chelsea pushing for an equaliser, Rogers tried to drive forward in support of Cole Palmer, who was leading a dangerous counter-attack.

But Rice stopped the move with a deliberate trip, sending the Blues’ summer signing crashing to the ground. The challenge clearly angered Rogers and sparked a face-to-face altercation, with the Chelsea player seen wagging his finger at the Arsenal midfielder.

Speaking about the incident on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes was blunt in his verdict on Rice’s actions. “Do you think there’s a little bit of something between Rogers and Rice? Do you think there might have been a little bit of something during the summer? What Rice did to him was the most annoying thing in the world. When people just leg you up when you’re running. He snapped Morgan Rogers and rightly so,” Scholes said to former team-mate Nicky Butt.

The summer backstory

Scholes suggested the tension between the pair may have come from their time together with the England national team. Both players were members of the Three Lions squad that finished third at the World Cup earlier that summer. Interestingly, Rogers had been strongly linked with a move to the Premier League champions before Chelsea eventually stepped in and took the former Aston Villa attacker to Stamford Bridge.

Even with that flashpoint late on, Rice was also praised for keeping his composure for most of the match. The Arsenal midfielder appeared to take on a leadership role during a frantic spell in the first half when Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso erupted at the fourth official over what he felt was a foul. Rice was seen pointing to his head and shouting “settle down” at his team-mates to make sure the Gunners did not lose their discipline under pressure.

A difficult afternoon for Rogers

For Rogers, it was a match full of mixed emotions. The 24-year-old had made the ideal start by scoring the opening goal after only 77 seconds with a composed finish. But as the contest wore on, he became increasingly cut off by a determined Arsenal defence.

Much of his afternoon was spent in a physical contest with former Villa team-mate Ezri Konsa, who was making his home debut for the North London side. Their familiarity did little to reduce the edge in their personal battle on the Emirates Stadium pitch.

Konsa was especially satisfied with the way he handled the threat posed by his close friend across the 90 minutes. “I love duels. As a defender, I think these are things you have to cherish. For me personally, I love a challenge. I love being in duels. I had a few today and I’m glad I came out on top. Rogers is a good friend of mine, but on the pitch, it’s a different story. I saw the opportunity to go in and make the tackle and it came off,” Konsa said.

Gunners keep pace at the top

The 2-1 victory is an important statement from Arsenal, who have now made it three straight wins at the start of the new campaign. After Rogers struck early, Kai Havertz equalised in the 25th minute before captain Martin Odegaard completed the comeback early in the second half. The result takes the Gunners to nine points, level with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

For Chelsea and Xabi Alonso, the loss leaves them on six points and underlines the defensive weaknesses that continue to trouble the squad. The Blues have now gone 18 successive league matches without keeping a clean sheet, a number that will surely worry those in charge at Stamford Bridge.