- Mikel Merino's late shot was disallowed after the ball hit Kai Havertz's arm.
- Expert Paul Merson was surprised by Havertz's reaction in the last-gasp drama.
- LISTEN NOW: It's all starting! Is Everton where they deserve to be or are the club's fans deceived?
Paul Merson was left stunned by Kai Havertz's bizarre reaction after his handball ruled out Arsenal's late goal in their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta's side looked on course to close the gap on runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool after goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Havertz, but Villa hit back in a breathless second half through Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins .
The result leaves the Gunners six points adrift of first place, although the deficit appeared to have been reduced when Merino's shot deflected towards the death.
Merino pulled the trigger from the edge of the area and a Havertz cut-back left Emi Martínez defeated, sparking wild celebrations at the Emirates. However, the goal was quickly disallowed after replays showed the ball hit the striker's arm.
Havertz seemed convinced the goal would stand despite his intervention and, speaking after the match, Merson was scathing in his assessment of his behaviour.
“I can't believe Havertz has escaped,” Merson said on Sky Sports.
Kai Havertz's handball canceled out Arsenal's last goal in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa
Havertz appeared to plead innocent, claiming the ball had hit his abdomen.
Pundit Paul Merson was stunned by the striker's reaction and said he “couldn't believe it.”
He hit her hand and ran away. “I can understand that if it's in the Championship, you'll get away with it, there's no VAR.”
Fellow pundit Lee Hendrie then claimed that Havertz would have known that VAR would intervene, to which Merson responded: “It's not very tight.”
Havertz pleaded not guilty, but claimed that the ball had hit him in the abdomen, but VAR soon disallowed the goal, which was initially awarded on the field.
“Arsenal's goal was awarded on the field,” read a statement from the Premier League Match Center. “The VAR established that the ball hit Havertz's arm immediately before entering the goal and recommended disallowing the goal.”
Watkins, however, believes it was a lucky escape for Villa.
'Looking at it back there, I'm not sure, I think it went in our favor. “If it went against me, I think I would be disappointed,” he told Sky Sports.
“From that angle I'm not sure, but that's what VAR is for.”
Dejected Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta disagreed with Watkins' verdict.
“On one of the cameras it looks like handball,” he said.
'It's difficult because we have a lot of emotion, the celebration and they take it away from you. It's not easy.'
