Arsenal were denied a late winner as Aston Villa came from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Merino’s strike hit Kai Havertz and beat Emiliano Martinez in the final minutes, but that goal was ruled out by VAR after replays showed the ball had hit the arm of Havertz.
The Gunners had appeared in control within ten minutes of the second-half, when Kai Havertz volleyed in to double the lead after Gabriel Martinelli had given the hosts a half-time advantage.
However, it turned into a damaging evening for Arsenal’s title hopes, just a couple of hours after Liverpool had scored twice in stoppage-time to edge past Brentford.
Youri Tielemans headed in just five minutes after Havertz’s goal to get Villa right back in the match, and Ollie Watkins then took advantage of some incredibly poor marking from Thomas Partey to volley in and leave the Emirates stunned.
Arsenal had just over 20 minutes to find a late winner and Merino thought he had provided just that, only for VAR to halt the celebrations in the stands.
Seven minutes were added on and Merino was inches away from a goal that would have stood, when his strike smacked off the post, before Martinez denied Leandro Trossard from the rebound.
Villa held on for a point, one that leaves Arsenal six points behind Liverpool having played a game more.
