Arsenal dealt huge title race setback as Gunners blow Aston Villa lead - 5 talking points

ARSENAL 2-2 ASTON VILLA: VAR rules retired a precocious Kai Havertz victor for handball arsenic the Gunners stroke a two-goal pb to gaffe further down Liverpool astatine the apical of the Premier League

Arsenal's chances of winning the Premier League rubric took different stroke aft Aston Villa came from 2-0 down to unafraid a gully astatine the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners took the pb erstwhile Gabriel Martinelli converted Leandro Trossard's debased transverse and they were 2-0 up and flying erstwhile Kai Havertz bushed Emiliano Martinez from different Trossard shot into the box.

But things started to spell incorrect for the location broadside erstwhile Youri Tielemans got goalside and buried a diving header into the adjacent station from Lucas Digne's cross. And it got adjacent worse erstwhile Ollie Watkins volleyed successful via the underside of the crossbar from Matty Cash's shot to the backmost post.

There was plentifulness of play left, though, with Mikel Merino's bobbled changeable going successful via a deflection disconnected Havertz, which VAR adjudged to beryllium a handball. Merino past struck the station successful added clip earlier Trossard dragged a changeable wide, but Arsenal couldn't find the victor they craved to permission them six points adrift of Liverpool, who scored 2 injury-time goals to down Brentford earlier connected Saturday.

1. Wide men nexus up

The gigantic Bukayo Saka-shaped spread successful the Arsenal squad of precocious has been a existent and evident occupation for Mikel Arteta. His hamstring injury has been felt keenly by the Gunners, who person go precise reliant connected the England antheral for a originative spark successful the last third.

Ethan Nwaneri offered anticipation of beingness without Saka erstwhile helium scored successful the 1-1 gully astatine Brighton, but the value of anticipation has fallen chiefly connected Trossard and Martinelli. The wide statement has been disappointing, with some struggling to lucifer the unthinkable output of their stricken team-mate.

But successful a mostly frustrating archetypal half, which had the acquainted feeling provided by a deep-set defence, the 2 combined to interruption the deadlock. Trossard stole a gait connected the left, whipped successful unsafe debased transverse crossed the box, wherever Martinelli nipped successful beforehand of a sleeping Ian Maatsen to get capable interaction to unit the shot implicit the line. Job done.

2. Watkins threatens

Villa defended heavy and looked precise unsafe connected the counter-attack, with the proviso enactment from Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers moving good to proviso Ollie Watkins. The Villa striker - playing successful beforehand of England manager Thomas Tuchel - is astatine his champion moving successful behind, and with William Saliba absent, his chances looked improved.

Watkins got plentifulness of openings successful the archetypal half, but Gabriel Magalhaes unopen the doorway with a well-timed tackle connected the archetypal occasion, with different perchance fatal through-ball chopped retired connected the halfway line. Arsenal got distant with it successful the archetypal half, but Villa were to find antithetic ways to wounded them aboriginal on.

3. Havertz's striker instincts

Arsenal are hopeless to motion a striker. They failed to onshore 1 successful the summertime and the superior genu wounded suffered by Gabriel Jesus has emphasised the request for a caller centre-forward astatine the club. That has been a statement that has raged forever, but determination is present implicit consensus. "We are going to try, for sure," Arteta admitted this week. "We are actively looking."

Benjamin Sesko is 1 of the players Arsenal are funny in - and it's casual to spot why. But successful the meantime - and successful the cognition that the January transportation model is simply a nightmare - Arsenal are moving with Havertz successful the position.

The German has tons of qualities and, arsenic the catchy chant goes he's been worthy the £65million Arsenal paid, but helium isn't a centre-forward. He intelligibly does person immoderate of the qualities required though, arsenic his instinctive decorativeness from Trossard's debased transverse proved. Whether it is capable to situation for trophies remains to beryllium seen.

4. Villa onslaught back

It looked arsenic though Villa's champion accidental would travel connected the counter-attack, but successful the extremity it was 2 elemental crosses into the container that did it for Unai Emery's side. Credit to the Villa manager, who took disconnected Maatsen for Digne astatine half-time and reaped the benefits.

Digne picked retired Tielemans with a pinpoint transverse earlier Cash did the aforesaid for Watkins from the other flank. The information they got truthful escaped wrong the six-yard container was surprising, but the lack of Saliba whitethorn person told, with overmuch made successful the pre-match build-up astir the deficiency of tallness successful the Arsenal defence, with 5ft 9in Jurrien Timber playing centre-back.

5. Drama astatine the decease

Arsenal appeared to person scored a melodramatic precocious victor erstwhile Merino's changeable from the borderline of the container took a immense deflection and recovered its mode into the net. But aft 1 replay, it was wide that VAR were going to intervene to cancel it, with Havertz intelligibly diverting the shot with his hand.

Havertz inactive celebrated and Arteta and his coaching unit appeared furious, but it seemed similar a cleanable concern for VAR.

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