Arsenal failed to close the gap with Liverpool on Saturday after the Gunners surrendered a two-goal lead to draw Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium. They have now dropped 12 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season.

The gunners could have reduced the deficit between themselves and Liverpool to four points but having gone two goals up inside the first hour of the game, Mikel Arteta’s side relented and Aston Villa forced them into sharing the spoils. 

Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring for Arsenal five minutes after the half hour mark when he poked Leandro Trossard’s assist into the net from close range. Ten minutes after the break, Kai Havertz doubled the lead for the gunners through another assist from Trossard.

However, Aston Villa responded well within five minutes after Youri Tielemans snuck his way through Arsenal’s defence and headed home Lucas Digne’s cross from the left wing to bring the visitors back into action.

It did not take long for the visitors to score another goal again after Matty Cash delivered a clipped cross from deep on the right over Arsenal’s defence, which Ollie Watkins calmly thumped into the net to equalise for Aston Villa in the 68th minute. 

Havertz thought he had scored a late winner for the Gunners in the 88th minute after Mikel Merino’s wild shot past the goalkeeper but was ruled out by VAR for a foul as replay showed the ball come off the German’s arm against his body.

Meanwhile, Liverpool left it late but went on to score twice in stoppage time in 2-0 win over Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium. They now comfortably sit six points ahead of second-placed Arsenal.

There was no goal in the whole normal time before Darwin Nunez broke the deadlock in the first minute of the four minutes added time. He went on to score again two minutes later to secure the important three points for the Reds.