Not so fast, Arsenal! Individual errors WILL prove costly in Premier League title race if Gunners don't tighten up

For anyone who lives on social media, you'll have seen it by now. Even the man himself will probably have been sent it a dozen times over in good faith, knowing the mishap didn't actually cost his side on this occasion.

After Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock in the first half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Declan Rice gathered his team-mates for a huddle. As they returned to their own half for kick-off, he pointed towards his temple, suggesting he wanted Arsenal to keep their heads and not get carried away. Only 24 seconds later, Rice had cheaply surrendered possession in the 18-yard box having tried to dribble his way out of trouble, allowing Randal Kolo Muani to equalise with his first Premier League goal. Rice then gave a wry smile as he held up his hands to apologise. The moment has been immortalised in videos and GIFs.

On a tactical level, Rice may have deemed he did not have sufficient options around him to pass to, similar to Martin Zubimendi's mistake in January's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United. But critics of Arsenal and Rice have pointed out it's this sort of performative motion that has only added to scrutiny around them in previous years. This was as clear a new example as those doubters were ever going to feast upon.

This might just be Rice's style as a leader. He was spotted yelling "every f*cking time" to himself after last month's 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest. When captain of West Ham, he was caught on camera shouting, "It's so poor, all night, it's so bad, how can you be that bad? You've probably been f*cking paid," at a referee during a Europa League match.

To be harsh, this is probably the biggest weakness left in Rice's game. The emotional outbursts and rushes of blood to the head can't continue for a player in with a decent shout of being named the Player of the Year. It's an accolade he'll only collect if Arsenal hold on and win the title.

Arsenal's other strong contender for Player of the Year is centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, who was fortunate not to have been at fault for a second Spurs equaliser. Under minimal contact from Kolo Muani, the 6'3" centre-back flopped to the floor, and after the Tottenham striker had put the ball in the net, referee Peter Bankes blew for a foul.

Taking aside how much shoving and grappling constitutes a foul nowadays, it's a ploy Gabriel has tried and failed with before. During Arsenal's 2-1 triumph at Newcastle in September, they fell behind to a Nick Woltemade goal during which he had two hands on the Brazilian defender, but there was deemed not enough contact for a foul.

Given that Gabriel is the Premier League's number-one menace on attacking corners, and notably scored the winner in last season's north London derby having used two hands to push himself into space away from Cristian Romero, you'd think he would be fine with some more physical tussles in his own box. Now that this incident has come under scrutiny, he might not get the rub of the green next time around.

There was also a matter of a trip on Kolo Muani during the first half when racing through on goal, with replays showing Gabriel only had eyes for the man and not the ball. This seemed more like an ordinary coming together in real time, but another VAR might not have been so forgiving. The point remains that Gabriel would simply be better off playing his natural game rather than trying to be too clever.

Following Arsenal's 2-2 draw at Wolves, the finger of blame was pointed at goalkeeper David Raya for not communicating with Gabriel when trying to claim one final cross, dropping the ball and allowing Tom Edozie to fire one in off Riccardo Calafiori.

This went down as Raya's first error leading to a goal this season, and it's hardly cause for longer-term concern. Inside his own six-yard box, the Spaniard is the best goalkeeper in the world, catching crosses at a ludicrous rate even in the most packed of penalty areas.

What's been more worrying is the manner in which Raya conceded the first goal at Molineux. Hugo Bueno's dipped effort didn't exactly reach the top corner, but it was still beyond the goalkeeper's grasp anyway. Raya doesn't allow many shots to beat him, but they are usually from range. At six foot, he's among the shortest goalkeepers in Europe and simply doesn't have the wingspan to deal with long-distance efforts as well as his peers.

It means that even though Arsenal are the best defensive side around, teams can still penetrate them without even reaching the 18-yard box. January's 3-2 loss at home to Manchester United, which saw Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha score from well outside the penalty area, is another recent example. This is the only blemish on Raya's game, but one that can be exploited without necessarily breaking the Gunners down.

Arsenal did well not to let the game at Tottenham really turn into a derby of antics. It was, perhaps, a sign of maturity having walked away from Wolves with their tails between their legs.

At the end of that Molineux encounter, the home supporters - whose side could still be relegated with a record-low points total - launched a barrage of "second again, ole ole" chants. The same happened a week earlier at Brentford. It's a sentiment that has followed Arsenal players and fans over the last 12 months as they aim to avoid becoming the first team in English top-flight history to finish as runners-up for four straight seasons.

If even Wolves and Brentford are revelling in an Arsenal demise, then the message is clear - every team in the country is going to want to stop the Gunners from becoming champions. They have to live with that notoriety and revel in it rather than let it get to them.

History is written by the winner, and for those of an Arsenal persuasion, they won't want to dwell on the manner of which their side entered last weekend's derby. At his pre-match press conference, however, Arteta seemed more tetchy than usual.

Wolves' social media team had posted a video on TikTok mocking Arsenal for their time-wasting antics shortly before Edozie's equaliser. It went viral in the days leading up to the game at Tottenham, and Arteta was asked about its contents and whether he had seen it.

"No," was his reply, before following up with, "What I read is the press conference of Rob [Edwards], the manager, before the game and what he said about us and what he texted me. He thinks we are the best team in the league by far - I'm much more interested in that than any other thing that I don't know who posted, or whatever. Especially because I don't read it."

This line drew comparisons to when Arteta claimed Luis Enrique and his staff told him that Arsenal were superior to Paris Saint-Germain in last season's Champions League semi-final, which saw the French side prevail 3-1 on aggregate. "Mikel Arteta is a great friend, but I don't agree at all," was Luis Enrique's rebuttal when told of the Gunners manager's comments.

Arsenal head into the weekend five points clear of Manchester City, though have played a game more than Pep Guardiola's side. They have scored the same number of goals (56) but it's hard to think that the Gunners have better attacking options than their title rivals.

Erling Haaland still leads the Golden Boot race with 22 goals, with Antoine Semenyo in third with 13, hitting the ground running with three in the Premier League for City since joining from Bournemouth. Beyond them, Phil Foden (seven) and summer signing Tijjani Reijnders (five) are their highest scorers despite not enjoying the best of seasons, while Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush are finding some form again.

Arsenal's productivity still remains heavily reliant on set pieces, but there is hope that Viktor Gyokeres' fine brace at Tottenham was the moment to kickstart a run down the final stretch of the season, while Bukayo Saka also had a spring in his step after grabbing a goal in a more central role at Wolves. If Eberechi Eze could score against teams other than Spurs and Crystal Palace, that would also be useful.

The next team to try and derail Arsenal's title challenge is London rivals Chelsea, who are without a Premier League win against the Gunners since August 2021, when Romelu Lukaku scored on his return to the Blues. Yeah, seems a world away, doesn't it?

It's always a great time for Arsenal to play Chelsea, but they may also be helped by recent circumstances. Wesley Fofana's red card in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Burnley was their eighth of the season, while head coach Liam Rosenior blasted his players for "setting four points on fire" having conceded late on to the Clarets and in their recent 2-2 stalemate with Leeds United. The form of Cole Palmer, at least from open play and not the penalty spot, remains a concern. If fit, he is in line to start away at the Emirates Stadium for the first time in his career. 

Chelsea may be out for revenge having been dumped out of the Carabao Cup semi-finals by Arsenal, but they may simply not have the means of getting a result at one of their most unhappy hunting grounds of recent seasons. This is, on paper, another fantastic chance for Arteta's men to build some momentum in a 'big game' which they are huge favourites to win.

Let's face it, at this stage of the season, results trump all else.