Paul Scholes accused Declan Rice of sparking his clash with Morgan Rogers by committing the most annoying offence in the world.
The England teammates squared up to one another during the closing stages of Sunday’s pulsating London derby.
With Rogers looking to get up in support of Cole Palmer, who had been leading a dangerous break, Chelsea’s headline summer signing was sent tumbling to the floor by a cynical trip from the Arsenal midfield linchpin.
Forced wide and with nobody to pass to, Palmer was forced to shoot from a narrow angle and his wild effort failed to trouble David Raya.
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Furious at having been denied an opportunity to score what would have been his second goal of the game and a valuable equaliser, Rogers squared up to Rice and wagged his finger in the face of his opponent in accusatory fashion.
Salt was rubbed into Rogers’ wounds when it was he who received a yellow card for his reaction which Scholes suggested might have been born out of an incident that occurred during the summer.
Rogers and Rice were part of the Three Lions squad that finished third at the World Cup, after which the former Aston Villa star was widely expected to join the champions before Chelsea hijacked the deal.
(Credits: AP Photo/Dave Shopland)
‘Do you think there’s a little bit of something between Morgan Rogers and Declan Rice? Scholes asked his former Manchester United teammate Nicky Butt on their The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast.
‘Do you think there might have been a little bit of something during the summer?
What Declan 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.’
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It was a mixed afternoon for the 24-year-old who continued his bright start to life at his new club with the opening goal of the contest after just 77 seconds.
Thereafter, he was largely nullified by Arsenal’s outstanding defence and came out second best in a duel with his former Villa teammate Ezri Konsa who was making his home debut for Arsenal.
‘I love duels,’ said Konsa. ‘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.’