Mikel Arteta has said the VAR had a "difficult" decision when awarding a handball that denied Arsenal a game-winning goal against Aston Villa on Saturday, admitting varying angles tell different stories.
Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead against Villa, whose levelled the game through second-half strikes goals Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins. However, the hosts thought they had won it when Mikel Merino's effort deflected off Havertz into the net, only to see VAR John Brooks rule it out for handball.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Arteta showed his frustration and understanding.
"From one angle it looks [like a handball] and from the other it doesn't. It's difficult because you have so much emotion, you celebrate it and it's taken away from you. It's not easy," Arteta said.
Villa's Watkins agreed it was a difficult call.
"Seeing [the handball] back there, I'm not sure ... I think it's gone in favour of us a little bit," Watkins told Sky Sports. "If that had gone against us I think I would be a little disappointed. I don't know... but from that angle I'm not sure but that's what VAR is there for."
The result left Arsenal six points behind leaders Liverpool, who earned a 2-0 win over Brentford on Saturday after a pair of stoppage-time goals from Darwin Núñez. Liverpool also have a game-in-hand
When assessing the race for the Premier League title, Arteta said Liverpool's strength in depth was the difference on Saturday.
Arsenal made just a single sub against Villa, with long-term injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus depleting their attacking options.
"There are moments [in the title race], obviously," he said. "[Liverpool] managed to do that, they made the subs and the subs made the impact and managed to change the game. In our side, it was the opposite even though after conceding the two goals very close to each other, the danger was because I knew how the team was, that we could go downhill because we were physically drained.
"Suddenly the team found another gear to go again and put Aston Villa in their box and go and go again and trying to find the goal that we haven't been able to score in the end."