Bukayo Saka broke the deadlock in the fifth minute before Raul Jiminez drew the Cottagers level on the half-hour mark. Bobby Decordova-Reid then turned in a loose ball after Arsenal failed to clear their lines to hand the Gunners their fourth defeat of the 2023/2024 Premier League campaign.
But before Fulham’s second, Rice was involved in a heated row with Arsenal team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes. Gabriel headed a cross from Cordova-Reid over his own bar and the pair then exchanged barbs over something.
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of the crushing 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage, Rice said: “Very disappointing. It’s very tough to take and not good enough from us again today.
“The last two results have not been what has been required or we have been setting over the course of the season. We have been performing well up until the last two games, especially off the back of the draw against Liverpool, we felt we could kick on but with two defeats, it’s a tough one to swallow.
“To be honest, I don’t really look at the table. There are a lot of media who talk and say Arsenal are going to win the league this year and we are better this year, but we don’t get involved in that.
“We just try to take everything as it comes, one by one. We’ve been doing really well, we have been at the top of the table and that is where we want to be, it’s a blip in the road but there is no time to panic.
“There are still so many games to go and we have to stay positive, there is no time to be negative. We have a great manager, great players and we will keep going.”
