By the end, Mikel Arteta had crouched on the touchline, his hand pressed to his forehead.
He is an emotional character, without a doubt. The Spaniard's intense reaction to his team's numerous methods of losing points is not new.
What was slightly different, however, was his utter exasperation, the kind that mirrored the groans of the Arsenal fans in the back rows.
Neither he nor they could understand how and why the Gunners managed to waste a two-goal cushion to walk away with a draw.
For all of his team's flaws, it's an underlying theme. Arsenal have now dropped 12 points from winning positions in the league this season, the most in a campaign since 2019-20 (21 points).
In comparison, Liverpool have just dropped four points so far. Last season, title-winning Manchester City conceded 10 in this way throughout their entire campaign and Arsenal lost nine.
A dejected Mikel Arteta could not hide his emotion after Arsenal's draw against Aston Villa
Ollie Watkins scored Villa's second inside 10 minutes to equalize at the Emirates on Saturday night.
The Gunners have dropped 12 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season
An abysmal pattern that does not match the typical style of a team chasing the title. It also presents opponents, regardless of whether they are on the rise or not, with the feeling that they have a chance to bounce back in the game.
That was seen in the Aston Villa team on Saturday. Once Youri Tielemans headed home an excellent Lucas Digne cross in the 60th minute, their tails rose.
So much so that Tielemans hit a post less than two minutes later, and then Ollie Watkins scored his second goal in the next six minutes.
In previous Arsenal matches, both at the Emirates and away, fans' anxiety about leaving the door open for opponents to do something is a recurring mood.
They must address this matter urgently if Arteta's men are to remain in the title conversation. Of the previous four seasons, the most points title-winning Manchester City dropped from a winning position was 13. It's such a clear factor.
Of course, the forced turnover of personnel in the bottom four doesn't help. The Gunners on Saturday used an 11th different back-four setup in 22 league games this season, with Jurrien Timber at centre-back for the first time in a league game due to William Saliba's injury.
This cannot be avoided due to the injuries of Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori. It's an impressive squad for a backline, which is why before this recent weekend the Gunners had conceded the fewest goals in the entire league.
But what did stand out on Saturday was Saliba's colossal impact. In the other league game he missed, against Liverpool on October 27 due to a red card suspension, Arsenal twice squandered a winning position to draw 2-2.
Arsenal were without defensive stalwart William Saliba, who missed the clash through injury.
And then his sending off against Bournemouth saw the north London club concede two goals in the second half to lose 2-0.
The Frenchman is not intimidated by one-on-one encounters on counterattacks, a method that Unai Emery's team has opted for for seasons. He also instills calm in the defense and leads by example. Arsenal could have done with this moments after Tieleman's goal, which caused the match to become an end-to-end affair.
Needless to say, the gaping hole in the Gunners' attack has often been the problem that has cost them the most.
Against Villa it was deeper than this. He scored twice in the first hour and could have scored at least two more if not for Mikel Merino's shot that hit Kai Havertz's arm before the ball ended up in the net, or for Leandro Trossard, who gave two assists, throwing the ball out. discount time.
Their utter lack of depth in the team in a variety of attacking areas on the pitch was evident when looking at the team sheet.
Villa had Jhon Durán, León Bailey and Donyell Malen on the bench. Durán has scored seven league goals this season, Bailey is a useful player on the flanks and in attacking midfield, and former Arsenal academy striker Malen signed from Borussia Dortmund earlier in the week.
For Arsenal's attacking areas, Arteta only had Raheem Sterling and academy pair Ismeal Kabia and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji at his disposal.
To add further salt to the wound, Liverpool were able to get over the line earlier in the day against Brentford thanks to substitute Darwin Nunez's injury-time goals. They also had Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott on the bench. It makes the difference in depth even more striking.
Raheem Sterling was the choice of Arsenal's attacking options on the bench against Unai Emery's team
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table after claiming a dramatic late victory against Brentford.
Of Liverpool's latest win, Arteta said afterwards: “There are moments, obviously they (Liverpool) managed to do it.” They made the substitutes and the substitutes made an impact and managed to change the game.
“In our team it was the opposite, even after conceding the two goals very close to each other.”
That seemed more like a nudge than a nudge from Arteta to Kroenke's owners that signings are desperately needed in January.
They need incoming players, and a striker urgently. But they must also stop losing winning positions. A new striker can't solve that.