Thierry Henry shook his head, Alexander Hleb laughed. They, like the rest of Arsenal's team, were on a different wavelength. A misunderstanding over a free-kick may seem insignificant, though it was typical of the disharmony that permeated Arsene Wenger's side. At times they were so disjointed it was painful to watch.
No one suffered more than Henry. He has thrived against Aston Villa in recent seasons, but the Frenchman will not recall this visit to the Midlands with any fondness. For much of the afternoon he looked like he did not want to be there, not so much through his body language - hardly a reliable barometer of Henry's mood - but the contribution he made with the ball at his feet. A back-heeled volley early in the second half, aimed at nobody in particular, smacked of disillusionment.
He could be forgiven.
A callow midfield, with Mathieu Flamini and Cesc Fabregas at the hub, created little, starving Henry of service.
Wenger's faith in his youthful duo remains, though the Arsenal manager cannot have failed to notice how they struggled to cope with their Villa counterparts, all the more alarming given that Eirik Bakke is seeking to salvage his ailing career and Gavin McCann is described by David O'Leary as no more than a "Steady Eddie".
The Villa manager, having spent 20 years at Arsenal, is hardly fond of criticising his former club, though he noted the obvious shortfalls in Wenger's midfield.
"I think in the previous years you had a Patrick Vieira in there," said O'Leary.
"You had (Emmanuel) Petit in there with Vieira or Gilberto (Silva) or Edu. The two lads in there (today) are quality, but it's not the same quality."
Fabregas is the more accomplished of the two, though his lightweight frame requires greater support than Flamini provides.
"Vieira was a great player, very physical, and helped us in the middle of the park, but we've been working hard on this aspect of the game," said Freddie Ljungberg.
"We've filled in with young players who have done well, but everyone needs time to grow, develop and learn. I've been here for a while and know that the physical side of the Premiership is a big part of it."
Villa exposed Arsenal's frailties in that department, though, unlike Bolton and Newcastle, who out-muscled Wenger's side, they are not bullies.
Admittedly, they put Arsenal under pressure, but there was nothing over-zealous about their approach, which might have yielded three points had Milan Baros shown greater composure. The former Liverpool striker, who spent much of the game running offside, blazed over after Luke Moore capitalised on a Sol Campbell mistake.
So vapid were Arsenal that it was 88 minutes before they won a corner, though Ljungberg did come close to a breakthrough early in the second half when he unleashed a ferocious, 25-yard left-foot drive that rattled the bar.
He is still looking for his first Premiership goal of the campaign, another symptom of Arsenal's malaise.
The lack of midfield goals puts even greater burden on Henry, whose afternoon of frustration was perhaps best summed up by an uncustomary air shot.
Kolo Toure felt similar embarrassment when he stabbed the ball wide from three yards in the last minute, and Flamini should have scored when he was released by the combination of Hleb and Fabregas.
Not that Arsenal deserved victory.
Villa, who face West Bromwich Albion today, showed the greater hunger and came close to taking the lead when Gareth Barry's speculative drive caused Jens Lehmann to make an unorthodox save.
O'Leary still believes that the Villa captain could force his way into Sven-Goran Eriksson's England plans - "But he's got to take his game to another level."
Arsenal will need to do that when Manchester United visit tomorrow.
It will be the first time the teams have met without Roy Keane and Vieira being at either club.
The stakes have also changed with Chelsea so far ahead, but the Arsenal manager can ill afford another display like this if he is serious about catching Alex Ferguson's side.
"Don't worry," said Wenger, "we will recover and be ready for United."
