- Arteta slammed VAR officials
- Was livid after Antony Gordon's controversial goal was given
- Rice defended his manager's effusive reaction
WHAT HAPPENED? The Gunners' manager was furious after Anthony Gordon's controversial winner ended their unbeaten Premier League runand labelled the decision by VAR officials as "embarrassing" and "a disgrace".
However, Rice revealed that Arsenal players wholeheartedly embraced Arteta's emotional reaction after the 1-0 loss to the Magpies even though the manager could face a sanction from the FA for the outrage.
WHAT THEY SAID: “We love it. I think you see how passionate he is. He sometimes gets criticised for how he is on the sidelines, but he is living the game through us," Rice told reporters.
“He’s so energetic and the way he speaks, he’s like a teacher the way he is in the changing room with us - and that really fires us up for the game and I think that’s what he’s really good at.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Rice believes that the manager's spirited response had a galvanising effect on the team as they quickly rebounded from their Saturday defeat at St James' Park by securing a 2-0 victory against Sevilla on Wednesday, which put them firmly on course for qualification in the Champions League knockout stages.
“After the upset [against West Ham] in the [Carabao] Cup and then obviously on the weekend, a club like Arsenal, we can’t be losing three games in a row,” said the midfielder.
“The manager made that clear before the game. He said: ‘We need to get back to winning ways and put in a high-energy performance’. Sometimes when you’re playing against a back five, it’s hard to break down. But in the end we kept persisting and we’ve come through.”
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Arsenal will return to action on Saturday when they host Burnley in a Premier League fixture.