Paul Scholes has raised the possibility that Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers could have unresolved history after the England team-mates became embroiled in a heated confrontation during Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
The former Manchester United midfielder was struck by the intensity of Rogers’ reaction after Rice deliberately brought him down during the closing stages of Sunday’s London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
Scholes suggested the confrontation appeared unusually personal, given that the two players have previously shared the England dressing room.
Rice challenge sparks furious response
Chelsea were attempting to mount a late comeback when Rogers tried to get back on his feet and move forward to support Cole Palmer.
Rice, however, appeared to cynically trip the Chelsea midfielder, sending him tumbling to the ground and stopping the attack.
Rogers immediately reacted angrily.
The 24-year-old approached Rice and pointed a finger directly at him before referee Chris Kavanagh stepped in to prevent the situation from escalating.
The incident created a brief melee involving players from both sides and quickly became one of the most contentious moments of an otherwise entertaining derby.
Scholes wonders about World Cup connection
Speaking alongside former Manchester United team-mate Nicky Butt on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Scholes questioned whether the confrontation could have been influenced by something that happened between the pair while representing England.
“Do you think there’s a little bit of something between Morgan Rogers and Declan Rice?” Scholes asked.
He then wondered whether there could have been an earlier disagreement between the midfielders during England’s summer campaign, while acknowledging just how frustrating Rice’s challenge would have been for Rogers.
Scholes described the act of being tripped while attempting to get back into play as particularly irritating and said Rogers’ furious response was understandable.
Rogers had already made his mark
The confrontation came during a match in which Rogers had given Chelsea an early advantage.
The summer signing opened the scoring just two minutes into the contest, producing a volley after Arsenal failed to properly clear a free-kick delivered by Reece James.
Arsenal responded through Kai Havertz, who restored parity during the first half before Martin Odegaard completed the comeback by scoring the decisive goal for the hosts.
Chelsea star rejects Rice’s gesture
The tension between Rogers and Rice did not appear to disappear immediately after the final whistle.
Rice attempted to extend an olive branch to his England colleague, but Rogers reportedly declined the gesture, underlining just how frustrated he remained by the challenge.
The Chelsea midfielder was also seemingly uninterested in a handshake offered by former Aston Villa team-mate Ezri Konsa.
Rogers’ reaction was notable considering his close relationship with Konsa, who had previously played alongside him at Villa.
Rogers and Konsa put rivalry ahead of friendship
Konsa later explained that facing a friend on the football pitch required him to put personal relationships aside.
The defender said he enjoys physical contests and believes such battles are an important part of his position.
He acknowledged that Rogers is a close friend, but stressed that the situation changes once they are competing against one another.
Konsa said he recognised an opportunity to make a tackle during the derby and was pleased that the challenge was successful.
Arsenal had previously been linked with Rogers
The match also carried an interesting subplot because Rogers had previously been linked with Arsenal before Chelsea secured his signature.
Chelsea paid £117million to bring him in from Aston Villa during the summer, making him the most expensive British player in history at the time.
The fee narrowly surpassed the amount Manchester City had reportedly paid for another England midfielder, Elliot Anderson, earlier in the transfer window.
Rogers therefore entered the derby with plenty of attention surrounding his move and his growing status in English football, only for the confrontation with Rice to become one of the game’s biggest talking points.
