Arsenal had 'heated' discussions after 'sickening' Wolves draw - Declan Rice

Declan Rice has branded Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers “sickening” and revealed that the squad held frank, “heated” talks after surrendering a two-goal lead to the Premier League’s bottom club.

The result on Wednesday night cost the league leaders a chance to stretch their advantage; they now sit five points clear at the summit but have played one match more than second-placed Manchester City, who entertain Newcastle United on Saturday.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rice did not hide his frustration. “We have such a big game on Sunday, so we can’t dwell on Wednesday night, but by our standards, to be 2-0 up with half an hour to play? For them to come back and get the draw was sickening.”

Tempers flared at Molineux, where Gabriel Jesus was cautioned following an angry exchange with Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera, and the visitors’ dejection was visible as they trudged off the pitch. Rice told The Sun that players convened for what he termed a “firm chat” immediately after the final whistle, and the issues were revisited during a team meeting on Friday.

“If things are not right, they will get brought up,” Rice explained. “Things will get said in the moment, even if it is heated. Five, ten minutes after that, you shake hands, and it is over. That is what it is about. I think the other night, that was needed. At 2-0, we should have gone on to win the game. We know the position that we are in. We shook hands the other night. It was disappointing, it was not nice, but we are ready for Spurs.”

The draw extended Arsenal’s winless league run in 2026 to five of their last eight fixtures, a sequence that mirrors City’s recent record. Rice acknowledged the numbers are unflattering. “It doesn’t look good on paper. The goals we are conceding at the moment are self-inflicted.”

Asked whether the club’s trophy drought since the 2020 FA Cup success is weighing on the squad, Rice was adamant: “For me, no. We are first, there is outside noise from fans of other teams, and people want to talk it up, but we are on our own journey, and we fully believe in each other here. We need some perspective about where we are but also we need to look a bit bigger and say, ‘If we carry on doing what we are doing in terms of results, that is not going to last.’”

Attention now turns swiftly to Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham Hotspur, where Arsenal will attempt to steady their title push and respond to the harsh lessons dealt at Molineux.