Paul Scholes has suggested a possible underlying issue from the World Cup may be the cause of a heated exchange between England teammates Declan Rice and Morgan Rogers during Arsenal's recent 2-1 victory over Chelsea. The incident occurred in the closing stages of the match at the Emirates Stadium.
Rice, playing for Arsenal, appeared to cynically trip Rogers, a recent £117 million signing for Chelsea, as Rogers attempted to support teammate Cole Palmer. The foul led to Rogers falling to the ground, prompting an intense reaction. The 24-year-old midfielder confronted Rice, jabbing his finger at him before the players were separated by referee Chris Kavanagh. This confrontation surprised observers, given both players were significant members of the England squad that reached the World Cup semi-finals over the summer.
"Do you think there's a little bit of something between Morgan Rogers and Declan Rice?" Scholes questioned on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Football. "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."
Rogers had opened the scoring in the match with a volley in the second minute. Chelsea's equalizer came from Kai Havertz in the first half, with Martin Odegaard scoring the winning goal for Arsenal later in the game.
Following the final whistle, Rogers reportedly rejected an attempt at reconciliation from Rice and also showed little interest in a handshake from former Aston Villa teammate Ezri Konsa.
Konsa commented on the physicality of the game, stating, "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."
Rogers had been a transfer target for Arsenal before Chelsea secured his signing, making him Britain's most expensive player at the time. Elias Anderson, another England midfielder, had previously been transferred for a similar fee earlier in the window.