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Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has brushed off criticism of his goal celebration against Manchester United, calling it nothing more than “football banter.”
Rice equalised for the Gunners with a stunning strike in the 76th minute of Sunday’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford, cancelling out Bruno Fernandes’ earlier free kick. Instead of rushing to restart the game, the England international turned to the Stretford End, shushing the home fans in a provocative celebration.
Former United captain Gary Neville questioned Rice’s decision, suggesting that Arsenal should have focused on pushing for a winner instead. However, despite their efforts, Mikel Arteta’s side had to settle for a point, with Rice himself making a crucial last-ditch tackle to deny Rasmus Højlund, while goalkeeper David Raya produced a series of key saves to keep United at bay.
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With Arsenal now trailing league leaders Liverpool by 15 points, rival fans took to social media to mock Rice’s celebration. Some suggested it reflected a mentality issue that has prevented Arsenal from claiming major trophies under Arteta.
When asked about his celebration in a post-match interview with Sky Sports, Rice downplayed the controversy.
Declan Rice pretty much singlehandedly won Arsenal a point at Old Trafford.
That’s what you get for £105million. Spend that amount again on a striker this summer and we’ll go up another level.
Bargain. pic.twitter.com/KICF7KAdzP
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) March 10, 2025
“I think it’s just a bit of football banter between me and the fans,” he said.
Despite the backlash, Rice was one of Arsenal’s standout performers on the day, and his decisive tackle on Højlund was a game-changing moment. Reflecting on his display, he admitted that moment stood out even more than his goal.
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“Probably the tackle, just because of the state of the game,” Declan Rice said. “It defines the small margins in football for me because it could have been a penalty and probably a red card for me if I didn’t react as quickly as I did.
“I made the tackle, and we go to the other end and nearly score. These are the margins in football, but for me, those tackles are equally as important as scoring goals. That was a big one today, so I liked that.”
Describing his thought process before taking his goal, Rice credited teammate Jurrien Timber for setting him up.
“Just to hit it, be positive,” he explained. “[Jurrien Timber] rolled me a nice ball back. The space was on the other side of the goal where I finished it, so it was just about a nice clean connection, a nice sweep, and just putting my foot through the back of the ball. So I was happy with that goal. It’s always special to score for this club—it’s not a bad feeling.”
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