'Erling took it on the chin!' - Declan Rice praises Haaland for taking Myles Lewis-Skelly's iconic celebration in good spirits despite backlash

Lewis-Skelly imitated Manchester City star Haaland's celebration, sitting in a meditation pose after scoring his first-ever goal in professional football, in the Gunners' 5-1 win over the champions in a Premier League clash in February. After the game, the youngster faced a lot of backlash from pundits across the world, with some of them advising him to remain grounded.

Now, Lewis-Skelly's Arsenal and England team-mate Rice came to his defence as the midfielder claimed that the youngster did not mean to insult Haaland. He also praised the Norwegian forward, for taking it in good spirits.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rice said: "Yeah, look. I think people went a bit over the top with it in terms of what they were saying about it. I know Erling just like, took it on the chin. It's football at the end of the day. It's a goal, it's a celebration. If you don't celebrate when you score a goal, what's the point of obviously playing football?

"I've not celebrated before because I played for previous clubs and what not, but for him to score his first goal and obviously do that. I know he has a lot of respect for Haaland. It wasn't out of a mean gesture. It was just, you know, in the moment."

Lewis-Skelly also opened up on the much talked about celebration as he added: "I was kind of in the flow. I wasn't really thinking. And then just, yeah just everything takes care of itself really."

The North London side, who are trailing league leaders Liverpool by 12 points, are all set to host Fulham in a must-win Premier League encounter on Tuesday.