Declan Rice has hit back at the ‘celebration police’ after scoring in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven last night. Already leading 7-1 from the first leg, Mikel Arteta’s side cruised into the quarter-finals as Oleksandr Zinchenko also struck in their low-key draw.
With a number of key players rested, Rice was one of the few Arsenal regulars to start the game before being hauled off just after the hour mark. His inclusion appeared justified, though, when, with the score at 1-1, he headed his side in front eight minutes before the break.
But his celebration, or lack of it, had fans talking afterwards. After nodding in from Raheem Sterling’s cross, Rice immediately ran towards the winger before stopping himself, gesturing to his team-mates not to approach him, and running back to half-way.
The England midfielder laughed as he carried out his actions, a far cry from his behaviour after scoring against Manchester United on Sunday. After hammering home a second-half equaliser at Old Trafford, he sped towards the home fans and put his finger to his mouth to perform a ‘shush’ gesture.
His celebration was roundly criticised by those who argued that Rice should have gone to fetch the ball from the net instead, with his team still needing a winner. The eventual 1-1 result left the Gunners 15 points off Liverpool at the top of the table, with their title hopes all but over.
The 26-year-old has seen the funny side of the fallout, though. After the PSV clash, he posted a picture of his brief celebration at the Emirates with the caption: “No celebration police tonight.”
His four million followers also seemed to see the funny side, with the post quickly racking up more than 142,000 likes. Ironically, Zinchenko also refused to celebrate despite striking his first Champions League goal, seemingly out of respect for his loan spell at PSV in 2016/17.
Rice has voiced his desire to score more regularly for Arsenal despite being deployed in a deep midfield role. His latest two goals have taken his tally to just 12 for the club in 90 appearances.