Arsenal star Declan Rice makes feelings clear about shush celebration against Manchester United fans despite being mocked for it

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has made his feelings clear about his shush celebration against Manchester United. He was notably mocked for his decision to celebrate, rather than pick up the ball from inside the net and drive his teammates on for a winner.

The Red Devils had scored first, with a Bruno Fernandes free-kick sparking a huge roar from fans at Old Trafford on Sunday (March 9). His brilliant effort from 25 yards came at the cusp of half-time, and it took the Gunners until the 74th minute before Rice found the equalizer.

With the Gunners chasing three points, it was expected that the midfielder would head back to the center circle with the ball. However, he opted to celebrate properly, shushing the crowd. This led to mockery from rival fans, but when asked about it, Declan Rice told Sky Sports (via Metro):

"I think it’s just a bit of football banter between me and the fans."

He further spoke about how much he enjoyed the goal he scored against Manchester United, adding:

"[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 put 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."

Despite Declan Rice's quality goal, Arsenal failed to find the winning goal, dropping two points and merely hanging on in the Premier League title race.

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Manchester City legend dismisses controversial moment in Manchester United-Arsenal draw

Manchester City legend Micah Richards has dismissed a controversial moment in Manchester United's 1-1 draw against Arsenal. Ahead of Bruno Fernandes' free-kick, referee Anthony Taylor set the Gunners' wall 11.2 yards from the ball, rather than the usual 10 yards.

This played a part in helping the Red Devils' playmaker curl his ball over the wall and into the corner, beyond David Raya. However, Richards has refused to blame the referee, telling The Rest is Football podcast (via TBR Football):

“If we’re scrutinizing that, the referee took 10 steps, didn’t he? If we actually watch the footage back, we can’t be blaming the referee for that because if that happens, I think now in football, we’re over-analyzing everything. The referee’s human, he’s walked out and took 10 steps…”

Arsenal will return to the Emirates Stadium, where they will invite PSV Eindhoven this midweek (March 12) for the second leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 clash. Manchester United also play on the continent, as they invite Real Sociedad to Old Trafford on March 13 for their Europa League Round-of-16 second leg.