Declan Rice was visibly frustrated after Arsenal missed the chance to go nine points clear at the top of the Premier League table – instead drawing 0-0 away to Nottingham Forest
Eagle-eyed Arsenal fans have spotted Declan Rice giving a foul-mouthed reaction to their drab 0-0 draw away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Gunners weren’t able to capitalise on title rivals Manchester City’s defeat earlier in the day, only gaining a point against relegation-threatened Forest.
Rice, 27, was at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield as they pushed for a winner to no avail. After full-time, the England international looked dejected as he walked towards the away section.
A camera zoomed in on Rice as he applauded their travelling supporters, and he appeared to say: “F****** s***, every f****** time.” Fans have theorised that this was in reference to Arsenal failing to capitalise on City dropping points for the second game in a row.
Arsenal supporter Piers Morgan agreed, posting on X: “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.”
The Gunners are seven points clear at the summit but Aston Villa, the third team with a realistic chance of winning the title this season, could cut the gap down to four. Villa host Everton on Sunday, having also dropped points in their last game.
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Mikel Arteta described Arsenal’s result as ‘disappointing’. “Obviously, we came here to win the game and we haven’t managed to do that for different reasons,” Arteta said. “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 Gabriel Martinelli an open goal, Declan Rice a tap-in, Mikel [Merino] and the header of Bukayo [Saka], and on top of that obviously a very clear penalty in the box that is not given.
“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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Noni Madueke echoed Arteta’s sentiment, admitting: “It’s disappointing to draw for sure.
“We wanted to win the game, we didn’t achieve that.
“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. There’s a long way to go. We know that we’ve been very consistent and we’ll continue to do so.”
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Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
