Rice issues Arsenal warning and reveals dressing-room talks after Wolves draw

Declan Rice has told his Arsenal team-mates that dropped points “aren’t going to last” if they repeat the lapses that turned a 2-0 advantage at Wolves into a bruising 2-2 draw, cutting the Gunners’ lead at the Premier League summit to five points with Manchester City still holding a game in hand.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports ahead of Sunday’s north London derby at Tottenham, the England midfielder warned that the squad must “pick that up quickly” or risk surrendering control of a title race that has already slipped away from Arsenal in each of the past two seasons.

“We’re first and [there’s] outside noise,” Rice said. “We’re on our own journey, we fully believe in each other, but if we carry on doing what we’re doing in terms of the results, it isn’t going to last. It’s on us as players to be switched on.”

The 25-year-old revealed that the Molineux dressing room was far from subdued after the final whistle, with senior players demanding immediate accountability for the collapse. “Trust me, if you were in there the other night, you would see how much it means to us,” he added. “You need to be able to demand stuff of each other and say truths in the moment. Things get said, even if it’s heated, but five to 10 minutes after that you shake hands and it’s over. That’s what it’s about.”

Rice, who will make his 100th Premier League appearance for Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, admitted the manner of Wednesday’s draw was “sickening”. “We just stopped doing the basics,” he said. “At 2-0 you think you’re going to walk away with it, but we ended up getting into a game they wanted to play.”

With Spurs languishing in mid-table after a season punctuated by injuries and a managerial change, Rice expects a derby fuelled by desperation as much as local pride. “Sunday isn’t just going to be about football, it’s going to be about how much you want it,” he stressed. “You’ve got to fight for it, and trust me, I want it.”

Despite the setback in the Black Country, Rice urged perspective, listing the club’s ongoing challenges on four fronts: top of the league, Carabao Cup final visitors, FA Cup last-16 hosts and Champions League last-16 hopefuls. Yet he conceded that the squad’s mentality has sharpened under Mikel Arteta, with post-match debriefs now commonplace. “If things aren’t right, things will get brought up,” he said. “That’s where the manager comes in; he’s really calm and puts perspective on things.”

Reflecting on his personal milestone, Rice credited Steven Gerrard as the template for his box-to-box evolution. “I’ve tried to emulate how he took games by the scruff of the neck,” he explained. “One hundred games for Arsenal in the Premier League is special, but there is much more to come from me.”

Arsenal’s next assignment is live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 4 pm on Sunday, kick-off 4.30 pm. Anything short of victory and the outside noise Rice hears now will only grow louder.