Chelsea attacker Morgan Rogers shared his thoughts on the vile abuse received from fans for his confrontation with Arsenal's Declan Rice in the London derby earlier this month.
Rogers and Rice were engaged in an animated clash after the Gunners man seemingly tripped Rogers during a counterattack. While the foul was missed by the referee, Rogers reacted angrily and shoved Rice, but teammates and officials quickly stepped in to deescalate the situation.
Going back to the game, Rogers' second-minute opener was eventually overturned by Mikel Arteta's Gunners, who won 2-1 at home to hand the Blues their first league defeat of the season.
“It's just competitors competing and wanting to win," Rice said (as per The Mirror) about receiving abuse from fans in the aftermath. "London derby, me getting absolutely dog’s abuse by the fans doesn’t help! All emotions come into one at that moment, but Dec and I are fine."
“We spoke about it after the game. We're completely fine. It's just one of those things in football, we want to win. That's actually a good thing — showing that we put friendships and everything aside and just want to win for our clubs and do what it takes. Sometimes tempers rise a little bit, but it's all good.”
Rogers arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer on a deal reportedly worth £117 million, snubbing reported interest from the Gunners and Bayern Munich.
What's next for Chelsea and Arsenal?
Brighton & Hove Albion v Arsenal FC - Premier League 2026/27 - Source: Getty
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Arsenal FC - Premier League 2026-27 - Source: Getty
Arsenal and Chelsea have had contrasting starts to the season. Mikel Arteta's Gunners won their opening seven games across competitions, including a 3-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield last month in Cardiff.
They also won their openers in the UEFA Champions League and the EFL Cup before their seven-game winning start to the campaign ended last week with a 3-0 Premier League defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, dropping the Gunners to second in the standings after five games.
Mikel Arteta's side will look to return to winning ways after the international break when they host Leeds United in the league on October 10.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have had a decent start to life under new boss Xabi Alonso, winning their opening two league games before losing 2-1 at the Gunners. The Blues fell to a 3-0 league defeat at Brentford last weekend and next play AFC Bournemouth at home on October 10.