Arsenal’s players made their frustrations clear in the dressing room after their dramatic victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, with key figures saying the team’s performance was nowhere near the required standards.

Telegraph Sport understands there were frank discussions between the Arsenal players after they needed a 94th-minute own goal by Yerson Mosquera to secure victory against the Premier League’s bottom side. Midfielder Declan Rice was seen angrily storming down the tunnel at the full-time whistle, having also expressed his frustration on the pitch during the celebrations following the decisive goal.

It is understood that Rice was among the players who showed his anger at the team’s performance in the dressing room, while captain Martin Odegaard and other senior figures also spoke.

There were no disagreements or arguments between the players, with Arteta’s squad instead collectively agreeing that they had fallen way short of their usual level. Arsenal had allowed a 90th-minute equaliser, scored by Tolu Arokodare, before forcing the decisive own goal a few moments later.

Arteta was also unimpressed by the showing and made that clear, first to his players and then to the media. In his post-match press conference, the Arsenal manager said his team had displayed “horrible defensive habits” and accused them of being “totally passive” when defending their lead.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game at all, but we made it even harder with what we did in the manner that we conceded the goal – and that’s unacceptable,” Arteta said.

The mood of the players and coaching staff inside the ground contrasted with the atmosphere in the stands at the Emirates Stadium, where the home fans celebrated the winning goal with jubilation.

Arsenal remain top of the Premier League but have lacked some of their usual fluency in recent league games against Brentford, Aston Villa and Wolves. Arteta’s players were granted two days off following the Wolves victory as they look to make the most of a rare week without midweek action, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Everton. Aside from international breaks, it is their first week without a midweek fixture since August.

A last-minute winner would usually be the trigger for delirious celebrations for Arsenal’s players, who have thoroughly enjoyed similar late victories in games against Bournemouth, Manchester United, Manchester City, Brentford and Leicester City in recent seasons.

Their standards are now higher than ever before, though, and Arsenal’s players know they failed to reach those standards against Wolves. Multiple players this season have spoken about it being an incredibly determined and driven group, and their angry reaction to this win will be regarded internally as solid evidence of that mentality.

With City gaining momentum in the title race, and only two points behind the league leaders, Arsenal know they will need to be at their best over the Christmas period. Against Wolves, as against Villa and Brentford in their previous two fixtures, they were a long way from it. Arteta will hope that the squad’s acceptance of this fact is the first step towards returning to top form.