Arsenal had a late goal ruled out by VAR as Aston Villa recovered from two goals down to claim a dramatic 2-2 draw which leaves the Gunners six points behind leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal thought they had won it when Mikel Merino’s shot bounced into the net off Kai Havertz in the 88th minute but VAR intervened, ruling the ball to have hit Havertz’s hand and overturning the goal.
Arsenal were under pressure to win after Liverpool’s victory at Brentford but Villa, whose win at the Emirates Stadium in April wrecked the Gunners’ title chances last term, inflicted another severe blow to their hopes.
The Gunners appeared to be cruising to victory as Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz scored either side of half-time, with goal-line technology needed to award the opener, but Villa fought back.
Youri Tielemans sparked their recovery when he bravely headed home a wicked cross from substitute Lucas Digne. Ollie Watkins then punished poor defending from the hosts, who were without William Saliba due to injury, to equalise only eight minutes later.
The Gunners pushed for a winner in a frenzied finale and thought they had it when Merino’s shot deflected off Havertz and beyond Martinez but VAR’s intervention left the home fans dejected.
Arsenal created a string of further chances, with Merino striking the post and Leandro Trossard sending the follow-up straight at Emiliano Martinez, before Trossard spurned a golden chance deep in stoppage time when he dragged wide when played in on goal.
The draw leaves Arsenal six points behind Arne Slot’s side knowing the gap could be extended to nine points if Liverpool win their game in hand. Villa, meanwhile, move above Manchester City into seventh.
WATCH: The key moments
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Gabriel Martinelli bundled in the opening goal
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Kai Havertz met a Leandro Trossard cross to make it two
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Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for Aston Villa
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Ollie Watkins scored the equaliser
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VAR ruled out Mikel Merino’s strike for handball against Kai Havertz
Analysis: Are Arsenal’s title hopes over?
It remains to be seen how costly this could be for Arsenal but the deflated mood inside the Emirates Stadium told a tale. So did the dejection of the home players as they made their way off the pitch.
Arsenal still have 16 games left to play, of course, but Liverpool have 17 and they are already six points clear. It is a huge gap, as it stands, and the worry is that will only get wider.
The Gunners only lost nine points from winning positions last season, the second-lowest total in the Premier League. But their collapse against Villa means their total for the current campaign already stands at 12.
It is a worrying statistic for a side which has developed a reputation for defensive resilience under Mikel Arteta and there are issues in attack too, where chances continue to be spurned.
There may be twists still to come in this race but Arsenal, depleted by injuries, with Saliba now added to the absentee list, are giving off the air of a side struggling to keep up.
