Declan Rice criticised as Arsenal told Man City 'could be stripped of 60 points' — declan behaviour questioned
Paul Scholes has criticised declan Rice for being "overly-emotional" after a costly error in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Tottenham. The incident came as the Gunners restored a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League, while Manchester City await a ruling that a football finance expert says could lead to a 40 to 60-point deduction.
Declan's error and reaction
Rice, 27, was visibly urging team-mates to focus — at one point pointing to his temple — after Arsenal took an early lead in the North London Derby, only to be dispossessed two minutes later while trying to dribble out from the edge of his own area. That sloppy mistake gifted Tottenham an equaliser. The midfielder then held his hands up and apologised before going on to have a solid game as Arsenal ran out 4-1 winners.
Scholes on calm leadership
Paul Scholes said Rice looked "too emotional" and lacked the calmness associated with leaders such as Roy Keane. "When Roy was getting the team together and leading the team really well, there was a certain calmness about it, " Scholes said. "When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He’s lively, he’s, 'Come on! Come on! Come on!' And then he makes his mistake. "
Scholes added he did not like Rice "geeing up the crowd just moments before Kolo Muani’s goal" and stressed that while emotion is important, "game-management in game situations, there needs to be a calmness. "
Questions from Nicky Butt and others
On the same discussion, Nicky Butt described Rice as a "big leader" and suggested the midfielder's intensity stemmed from a desire to win. Butt also raised a wider concern about a perceived lack of senior leaders in Mikel Arteta's squad, noting that when the error occurred "not one Arsenal player had a go at him. " Butt invoked former figures such as Martin Keown, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes and Eric Cantona as examples of players who would have confronted a teammate in that situation, saying: "Who are the ones in the [current Arsenal] team to try and get them over that line? I don't see the actual leaders at that club. "
Arsenal form, scorers and late concessions
Mikel Arteta's side secured their second north London derby win of the season away from home thanks to braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres. The 4-1 victory restored Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League to five points after a nervy spell that saw them drop four points at Brentford and Wolves. It was also noted that Arteta's team have conceded 10 times within ten minutes of scoring across all competitions in 2026 alone.
Arsenal's next match is another London derby at home on Sunday against Chelsea, whom they beat in the Carabao Cup semi-final twice earlier this year. Manchester City remain second in the table with a game in hand and next face Leeds this Saturday.
Man City's alleged breaches and points risk
A football finance expert has suggested Manchester City could be deducted between 40 and 60 points if found guilty of the most serious charges relating to 115 alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018. The hearing into those alleged breaches concluded in December 2024 after a 12-week tribunal; the independent panel has not yet issued its verdict. It has been 14 months since the tribunal concluded. City have denied any misconduct and are believed to be optimistic about being cleared.
Broadcasting and match coverage changes
A broadcaster has cut the price of its Essential TV and sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, a move described as saving members £192 and offering more than 1, 400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and other competitions. That provider said it will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more matches.
Rice's error and the ensuing debate over leadership came against the backdrop of Arsenal's title push and the potential off-field turmoil facing Manchester City, with both threads reshaping the storylines at the top of the table.
Closing: Declan Rice's mistake in the North London Derby prompted public criticism from Paul Scholes and questions from Nicky Butt about leadership at Arsenal, while off the pitch Manchester City await a long-delayed tribunal verdict over 115 alleged breaches that an expert says could carry a 40-60 point penalty.
