The cameras don’t capture every interaction between teammates during games, but the sight of Declan Rice visibly frustrated before taking a late corner at Wolves on Wednesday offered a clear glimpse of Arsenal’s emotional state in the closing stages of a match that should already have been won.
Usually, set-piece routines unfold with minimal fuss. The target man relays instructions, often through a teammate, and the taker executes.
This time it was different. With Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke absent, Rice was left to take responsibility for a right-sided corner. As he made his way to the flag, he tried to speak to Gabriel Magalhaes. “I can’t hear,” he shouted, throwing his hands in the air before walking away.
Even as he prepared to deliver, Rice gestured uncertainly, signalling he wasn’t sure what the plan was. He raised an arm, hesitated, then opted for safety. Spotting Eberechi Eze on the edge of the box, he played it short. The pair managed to work an opening for Zubimendi, but the Spaniard overhit his cross and sent the ball out for a throw on the far side, to the delight of the home fans.
It was scrappy and confused, a small moment that captured the performance as a whole, one that ended with two points dropped at the death.
Rice has since revealed that he and his teammates had a “firm chat” about what went wrong in the Midlands. Speaking via journalist Simon Collings, he admitted the squad know they fell short of the standards required to sustain a title challenge.
“We’re not going to be handed it, we need to go and win it, we need to deserve it and we need to be ready for anything that is thrown at us.
“We spoke to each other in a firm way after Wolves, we knew we’d let ourselves and the fans down after being in such a good position.
“Letting it slip is not the standards that we have set ourselves this season. We had a team meeting and we are ready to go again.”
Even if the squad had tried to brush it off, they would have heard the backlash. There was anger on the night from the travelling support, followed by another wave online. The frustration only deepened as the scale of the collapse became clear. No team top of the league had ever squandered a two-goal lead against the side bottom of the table.
Tensions have continued to simmer, heightened by the looming North London derby and the fear of further damage.
Rice believes the short trip up the Seven Sisters Road offers the perfect chance to reset.
“The North London derby is the perfect game to respond to that. It’s a massive game, one that is going to be massive in our season.
“There is a long way to go, there’s still a lot to be positive about, there’s perspective here.
“We’re still having an amazing season, and we can’t let any outside noise disturb that.
“When we say about mentality, we’ve shown unbelievable mentality all season to be where we are, we aren’t going to let anything get in the way of that.”
After January’s defeat to Manchester United, Mikel Arteta was the one to rally the fanbase. Whether his stirring speech came a little too soon, delivered ahead of a Champions League dead rubber with Kairat Almaty, is debatable, but it did have a galvanising effect. You cannot keep playing the same cards, though. This time it feels like Rice, much like with that corner, has stepped forward to take responsibility.
“At this stage of the season, we need the supporters with us more than ever,” pleaded Rice.
“We’ve come this far together. Now is not the time to be turning against each other.
“We need everyone on the same page, same path, keep fighting (as fans) for these players, for this club.
“Keep believing in us, keep pushing us and hopefully we can bring some special things with everyone’s help. So let’s keep going.”
Rice can talk about standards and unity all he likes, but derbies tend to cut through sentiment quickly. The apology has been made, the reset button pressed. Now it is about action, because nothing rewrites a narrative faster than winning the next one.