The ball hit the back of the net, and the Arsenal players hit the floor.
David Raya even banged the turf repeatedly, such was his frustration at Emi Buendia’s late winner at Villa Park.
It is hard to blame the Arsenal goalkeeper. The Gunners were so close to claiming a hard-earned point on Saturday, before Buendia broke their hearts.
Defeats have been rare for Arsenal this season and this was their first since August. It came in painful fashion, too, with Buendia’s goal virtually the last kick of the game.
Villa Park burst into life after it - and so has the title race.
Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City is now just two points, while Aston Villa are only three off them.
All eyes are now on how Arsenal respond. Before Saturday, they had been on an 18-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
The Gunners have had a brutal run of fixtures, with games against Aston Villa, Bayern Munich, Brentford, Chelsea and Tottenham all coming in the space of 14 days.
Their injury issues have increased in that time, to the point that Piero Hincapie was the only fit centre-back available to Arteta on Saturday.
The good news for Arsenal is that the fixture list is easing - and so is their injury crisis.
William Saliba should, hopefully, be back soon and that will at least allow Jurrien Timber to move back to right-back instead of filling in at the heart of defence.
Arteta also has the luxury of Arsenal hosting Wolves on Saturday. They are the worst team in the Premier League and it is hard to think of a kinder game as Arsenal bid to bounce back.
Before that, though, Arsenal are in Champions League action as they travel to Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Like in the Premier League, they are top of the Champions League and so the opportunity is there for Arteta to rotate.
Arsenal are all but guaranteed to finish in the top eight of the league phase as they are five points clear of Manchester City in ninth with three games to go.
It means Arteta has the chance to rest some players in Belgium, an opportunity he cannot ignore.
Arsenal looked like a team feeling the impact of five games in 14 days as they fell to defeat at Villa Park.
Those matches have also been huge games, including two London derbies and a clash with, arguably, the best team in Europe this season.
Arteta has historically been reluctant to ring the changes, but this week feels like a moment where he must buck the trend.
Some Arsenal players looked, understandably, dead on their feet during the closing stages of Saturday’s loss to Villa.
The past fortnight has clearly taken a lot out of them and they look in need of a rest before the busy festive period.
Given Arsenal’s position in the Champions League, it is hard to think of a better moment for Arteta to do just that.
This week offers him the ideal chance to reset tired legs and ensure Saturday’s gut-punch is only a stumble, not a shift in the title race.
