Declan Rice has had an incident-packed start to the year, letting his filter slip at the City Ground and picking an argument with an Arsenal coach in the tunnel
10:34, 18 Jan 2026
Declan Rice of Arsenal drinks from a bottle prior to the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal at City Ground on January 17, 2026 in Nottingham, England
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Declan Rice appears to be feeling the pressure at Arsenal (Image: Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Declan Rice was devastated to leave the City Ground with only a point. Nottingham Forest held Arsenal to a goalless draw on Saturday evening, letting Manchester City off the hook and inviting pressure from Aston Villa in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners squandered the opportunity to go nine points clear at the top of the table after Manchester United stormed past Pep Guardiola's side at Old Trafford. Gabriel Martinelli failed to capitalise on a great chance in the first half, wastefully brushing the ball wide from a few yards out.
Viktor Gyokeres found himself one-on-one with Matz Sels a few moments later, but he too couldn't hit the target. The 27-year-old striker, whom Arsenal signed from Sporting in the summer for £64m, couldn't get the ball under control, welcoming a last-ditch challenge from Murillo.
The Forest goalkeeper was called to action in the second half, stretching to claw out a header from Bukayo Saka. Then, in stoppage time, the Gunners were denied a penalty when an apparent handball by Ola Aina was cleared by the Video Assistant Referee.
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In the final seconds of the clash, Arteta's side showed little to no urgency to snatch a winner, walking the ball up the field from a quickly taken short goal-kick. The points were shared at the City Ground, and Rice was furious with the result.
After the game, the former West Ham captain was spotted muttering to himself. Without pulling any punches, after he applauded the travelling fans, Rice looked to the heavens and said: "F*cking sh*t, every f*cking time!"
It's not the first time that Rice has let his mask slip this month as pressure builds on Arsenal. The England international, whom the Gunners signed from the Hammers for £105m during the summer of 2023, was caught in a fiery exchange with Albert Stuivenberg during the half-time break of their victory over Chelsea.
Arsenal were leading the Blues in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge, but Rice was visibly angry. He and the Gunners coach exchanged a few words, and Gabriel Magalhaes was forced to step in.
Declan Rice reacts after the defeat
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Declan Rice reacts after the defeat(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
Jeremy Freeman, a lip-reading expert, told The Daily Mail that Rice initiated the confrontation with, 'just go,' before his captain stepped in and pleaded with Stuivenberg: "Stop, please stop, please stop."
While Gabriel tried to play the peacemaker, the Englishman then supposedly said: "Oh for f***'s sake! He doesn't know what the hell he is on about?"
A few days later, of course, Arsenal dropped crucial points to Forest in the title race. Speaking to reporters at the City Ground on Saturday evening, Arteta sympathised with Rice and shared the frustration.
"Obviously we came here to win the game and we haven't managed to do that for different reasons," said the Spaniard. "Credit to them, because they are really well organised and they are really good at breaking momentum when you have certain dominance in the game.
"But the reality is that we created four massive chances as well with Martinelli an open goal, Declan Rice a tap-in, Mikel and the header of Bukayo, and on top of that obviously a very clear penalty in the box that is not given.
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"So, without conceding a single shot on target, again, the fact that we haven't won the game is disappointing. On top of that, I think we can do things better, especially in certain attacking areas."
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