Mikel Arteta looked like he had seen a ghost. With his side leading 2-0 against Aston Villa thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, the Arsenal manager must have felt they were within touching distance of a cathartic victory that would keep up the pressure on Liverpool.
But having seen the Premier League leaders seal a dramatic late victory over Brentford earlier in the afternoon, once again Unai Emery had other plans against his former club. Arteta could only watch on in horror as Youri Tielemens pulled one back before Ollie Watkins volleyed home the equaliser to the delight of the Villa supporters and their manager, who celebrated wildly at the final whistle as he did back in March after a 2-0 victory here that eventually proved terminal to Arsenal’s title challenge last season. Yet even when it seemed they might have won it late on through Mikel Merino, Arsenal’s joy was short-lived as VAR ruled Havertz had diverted the Spaniard’s effort in with his arm to ensure this was another two points dropped.
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