Arsenal were denied a dramatic late winner as Aston Villa fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
In the final minutes, Mikel Merino’s strike appeared to have found the back of the net after hitting Kai Havertz and beating Emiliano Martinez, but the goal was ruled out by VAR when replays showed the ball had struck Havertz’s arm.
The Gunners seemed in control early in the second half when Havertz volleyed in to double their lead, following Gabriel Martinelli’s first-half opener.
However, Arsenal’s title hopes were dented on a night of frustration, especially after Liverpool had secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Brentford earlier. Villa responded just five minutes after Havertz’s goal, with Youri Tielemans heading in to pull one back. Ollie Watkins then capitalized on poor marking from Thomas Partey to level the score, leaving the Emirates crowd stunned.
With just over 20 minutes left, Arsenal pushed for a late winner, and Merino thought he had delivered it. But VAR canceled out his earlier strike, and in stoppage time, his effort hit the post before Martinez saved Leandro Trossard’s rebound.
Villa held firm to take a point, leaving Arsenal six points behind Liverpool, having played one more game.
