Manchester United's Premier League clash with Arsenal was paused momentarily after Declan Rice equalised for the visitors at Old Trafford
Comments
Sport
Declan Rice celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Manchester United
Declan Rice celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Manchester United
(Image: PA)
Manchester United vs Arsenal was paused momentarily to allow defender Noussair Mazraoui to break his fast for Ramadan.
Mazraoui, who is a Muslim, is currently observing Ramadan which is an annual Islamic holiday which sees those who celebrate fast for an entire month. In practice, this sees Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn until dusk.
With the Premier League being a multi-cultural division, there are several Muslim players who are currently under specialised training regimes to cope with the demands of fasting. As United's clash with Arsenal kicked off at 4:30pm, it meant that Mazraoui would be playing when the sunset.
This just so happened to take place after Declan Rice equalised for the Gunners with 15 minutes remaining. United had been in front at half-time thanks to Bruno Fernandes' curling free-kick.
As the game had stopped naturally following Rice's equaliser, referee Anthony Taylor took the opportunity to pause the match briefly and allow Mazraoui to take on food and drink to break his fast for the remainder of the day. This decision was pre-agreed by both clubs prior to kick off to allow the defender to observe his faith.
Mazraoui had been unlucky not to make it 2-0 shortly before he broke his fast after seeing his close-range effort blocked by the flailing leg of David Raya. In 2025, Ramadan takes place between February 28 and March 30.
This means that United's matches are unlikely to be paused again as the sun will have already set by the time they kick off.