Arsenal fans have spotted Declan Rice appearing to swear in frustration after their goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The result meant the Gunners failed to capitalise on title rivals Manchester City's earlier defeat, leaving Mikel Arteta's side seven points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Television cameras showed Rice, 27, mouthing words believed to be "F****** s***, every f****** time" as he applauded the travelling supporters at full-time. Supporters have suggested the midfielder was referring to Arsenal dropping points for the second consecutive game after City had lost.
Piers Morgan responded on X, saying: "He's right! And this is why Rice should be captain. We lacked proper leadership today. For title run-ins, we need this mentality - a refusal to accept such mediocre performance."
Mikel Arteta described the result as "disappointing", noting that Arsenal created four clear chances and had a penalty appeal turned down. "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," he said. "But the reality is that we created four massive chances as well... So, without conceding a single shot on target, again, the fact that we haven't won the game is disappointing."
Noni Madueke echoed that sentiment, saying: "It's disappointing to draw for sure. Disappointing in that sense, but it's a point we take on the road and we regroup. We've got an important clash versus Inter [Milan] in the Champions League, which we'll go into trying to win." Aston Villa, who play Everton on Sunday, could cut the gap to four points with a win.
