Paul Scholes has laid the blame for the flashpoint between Rice and Morgan Rogers squarely at the Arsenal captain’s feet.
Speaking on ‘The Good, The Bad & The Football’ with Nicky Butt, Scholes told his co-host he saw a personal edge behind the confrontation that boiled over in the closing stages at the Emirates.
“Do you think there’s a little bit of something between Morgan Rogers and Declan Rice? Do you think there might have been a little bit of something during the summer?” Scholes said, before pinning the fault on the Arsenal captain.
“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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What actually happened at the Emirates
Chelsea’s £117m signing had put the visitors ahead inside two minutes with a clinical finish, only for Kai Havertz to level in the 25th and Martin Odegaard to strike early in the second half as Arsenal came from behind to keep their perfect start intact.
The incident Scholes referenced came late on, with Chelsea chasing an equaliser. Rice caught Rogers from behind off the ball as the Chelsea forward tried to break, and referee Chris Kavanagh waved play on. Rogers sprang up, shoved Rice, and was booked for his reaction. Rice was not punished.
Arseblog’s match report described the challenge as “100% a cynical foul from Rice, he knew exactly what he was doing,” but suggested Rogers’ anger was better aimed at the official who missed it. The home crowd added its own commentary, serenading Rogers with chants of “You should have signed for a big club.”
The referee took the blame too
Former Premier League official Mark Halsey told Sportbible the trip should have earned Rice a caution and that Rogers’ yellow was harsh given the missed foul that provoked it.
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VAR could not intervene on a missed yellow-card offence, so both the non-call and the booking stood. Sky Sports’ clip of the incident shows Rogers shoving Rice before teammates stepped in to pull the two England men apart.
A £117m signing under a new coach
Rogers is Chelsea’s marquee summer arrival, signed from Aston Villa in a deal reported at £117m that made him the most expensive British player in history. Sunday was an early yardstick for how Xabi Alonso’s rebuild is progressing; the Spaniard was appointed on a four-year contract in May and took charge on 1 July.
Scholes offered no evidence for his suggestion that Rice and Rogers had clashed during England’s summer, and Football365 noted he stopped short of turning the theory into a verdict. What is on tape is Rice’s trip, Rogers’ shove, and a yellow card that only went one way.
Chelsea are back at Stamford Bridge next weekend before the international break, with Rogers set to link back up with Rice on England duty.
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