No issues: Mikel Arteta said that Declan Rice’s argument with Arsenal assistant Albert Stuivenberg was quickly resolved
Arsenal Football Newsletter
The pair were captured in a heated exchange in the tunnel at Stamford Bridge during half-time of Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie against Chelsea, which the Gunners won 3-2 thanks to goals from Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.
The video clip on Sky Sports, which has since circulated widely on social media, showed Rice throwing his arms in the air in frustration with Stuivenberg, with centre-back Gabriel intervening to diffuse the argument.
But on Friday morning, Arteta insisted the situation is “resolved”. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, the Arsenal boss said: “It is all sorted. All good.”
Arteta was then asked whether tempers flaring in such a manner showed the extent to which both Rice and Stuivenberg desperately wanted to win.
“Yes,” he replied. “And the good thing is that by the time I found out, the problem was resolved. So that is very good.”
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Winning 3-2 gave Arsenal a strong advantage to take back to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg, but they have three weeks to wait until that return meeting with Chelsea on February 3.
They are hoping to extend their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday evening when they face struggling Forest at the City Ground.
Second-place Manchester City will already have played by that point, as they contest the Manchester derby against Michael Carrick’s United in the lunchtime kick-off at Old Trafford.
Fellow title challengers Aston Villa, behind City in third on goal difference only, host Everton on Sunday afternoon.