Ollie Watkins has perhaps surprisingly suggested that Arsenal were hard done by in seeing their third goal scrubbed off for a handball in Saturday’s thrilling 2-2 draw.
The Gunners took the lead through Gabriel Martinelli before Kai Havertz doubled the ascendancy shortly after the break, but Youri Tielemans and Watkins netted to level up the tie.
It comes on the same day Liverpool left it late to beat Brentford and increase the deficit at the top of the table as Aston Villa once again stymied Arsenal at the Emirates.
However, with the Gunners pushing for the all-important fifth goal of the game, Havertz thought he had doubled his tally when Mikel Merino’s effort deflected off him in the closing stages of the tie.
Yet after a VAR review, it was concluded that the ball had struck the German forward’s arm, rather than his midriff as Havertz had protested, and the game ended 2-2 with the points shared.
After the game, Watkins then told Sky that he was ‘not sure’ that the right decision was reached, despite it being a call that benefited his side.
Ollie Watkins rescued a point for Aston Villa but perhaps suggested Arsenal were hard done by
Arsenal thought they had scored a winner late in the game before it was chalked off by VAR
It was a frustrating night for the Gunners who once again dropped points in the title race
‘Seeing it back there I am not sure, think it’s gone in favour for us, if that was against me I think I would be disappointed,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘From that angle I’m not sure but that’s what VAR is there for.
‘We got the goal from Youri, we went up the pitch and he nearly scored again. Got a lot of momentum from that and faith when we went forward on transition there was chances to be had.
‘We knew they went man-for-man, Gabriel on me, Partey on Jacob, we were man-for-man at the back and few times I could have done better in first-half.
‘Chances there to be taken and they [Arsenal] were always a little bit open.’
It was a bruising result for the Gunners who have now won just once in their last five games in all competitions.
A draw to Brighton was followed by back-to-back home defeats in the cup competitions by Newcastle and Manchester United, with the Villa draw coming after a midweek north London derby win.
Havertz appeared to feel however that he had done enough to ensure an important win for his side late in the game, running off to celebrate his deflected goal before it was chalked off by VAR.
While Havertz was perhaps unsure, Paul Merson in the Sky Sports studio needed little convincing over the veracity of the “goal”.
Havertz continued to protest against the decision, implying that it had come off his midriff
Former Gunners icon Paul Merson expressed his shock that Havertz protested his innocence
‘I can’t believe Havertz has run away. It’s hit his hand and he’s run off. I can understand if it’s in the Championship, you’re going to get away with it, there’s no VAR,’ said the former Arsenal icon.
Lee Hendrie seemed to be just as unconvinced by Havertz’s response: ‘As a player, surely you know’
Merson added: ‘It’s not a tight one!’
After the disappointment of Saturday’s draw in front of a home crowd, Arsenal will have to pick themselves up before going again in midweek when they host Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Villa meanwhile will be looking forward to a trip to Monaco on Tuesday, where they will look to give themselves the best chance at qualifying for the next round of Europe’s greatest competition.
