Arsenal suffered yet another blow in their hopes of winning the Premier League title as they dropped two points at home to Aston Villa. While an improvement on the same fixture from last year, and in both clashes with Unai Emery’s side overall, the feeling is very similar indeed.

Mikel Arteta thought his side had claimed all three points at the end only for the goal to be ruled out. Regardless of that controversy that is covered below, two goals up at home, it never should have reached a point where a late winner was needed.

There were plenty of talking points from the match but particularly when it came to how the game was officiated, it was a mixed display from the referee Chris Kavanagh. With that said, football.london takes a look at the different incidents and gives its verdict on the incidents from the game

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Emi Martinez booking

Emi Martinez has made a name for himself as a goalkeeper who likes the drama and theatre of winding up both opposition players and supporters. Perhaps none more so however than his former club Arsenal who he has regularly poked in interviews to the point where when he faces them, the boos are perhaps louder than for any player I can remember witnessing inside the Emirates Stadium.

The reason for his inclusion here is not because of anything too major but more irony. Chris Kavanagh visited the Emirates earlier in the season to officiate the game against Brighton. He sent off Declan Rice, after tapping the ball as Joel Veltman went to take a quick free-kick.

FL review: Emi Martinez, in his typical fashion, after Villa had equalised and prior to that before any goal had been scored, took additional time on nearly all goal-kicks. The noise reached very high levels inside the ground as Kavanagh allowed the Argentine to take his time on every single goal-kick, and in the end, was never booked.

FL verdict: Incorrect decision. Kavanagh, with his track record, should have got on this earlier in the game. A later example in this piece, however is even worse.

Kai Havertz handball

This was the incident which has taken all the headlines. The discussion surrounding the Kai Havertz handball which saw Mikel Merino’s strike ruled out after the deflection allowed the ball to beat Martinez has been debated – but I am not sure why.

To me, this is the most obvious case of handball I have seen. Every video, every angle shows the ball so clearly coming off the German’s right arm – perhaps fans focused on his left but the argument it somehow hits his stomach and not any part of his arm seems ludicrous.

It was maybe not helped by Ollie Watkins coming out after the game to say he thought were it him, it would have been harsh. "Seeing it back there, I'm not sure. If that was against me I'd be a little bit disappointed,” he said. “I don't know, from that angle, I'm not sure. That's what VAR is for."

FL review: This is handball, and whether or not it hits any other part of his body is irrelevant, the last touch of the ball clearly comes off his right arm. The game is football, not handball, and while I would have loved the goal to have stood I do not want to see the sport change to suit the Gunners.

A goal cannot stand that has been scored where the last tough comes off a player’s hand. Letter of the law, sure, but in any law, a footballer should not see a goal stand if the last touch comes off their hand, period.

Fl verdict: Correct decision. No goal.

Boubacar Kamara red card

This decision would not have likely had any bearing on the result of the game due to it taking place in the 97th minute but it is undoubtedly an important issue to cover, especially in the context of Kavanagh being the official here. Arsenal win a free-kick in their own half and look to take it quickly, Boubacar Kamara who is nearby decides to kick the ball away from the approaching Arsenal players… Kavanagh just says play on despite those remonstrations.

FL review: Kamara had been booked in the 78th minute of the game for a late foul on Mikel Merino. This means that had he received a yellow for delaying the restart he would have been sent off.

This is where Arsenal’s case stands and after Rice’s red card against Brighton, it is easy to see why such anger exists. We have seen many other scenarios where players have not been punished.

Head of the PGMOL Howard Webb explained that Dominik Szoboszlai had not been sent off for kicking the ball away despite Leandro Trossard’s similar infringement at Manchester City because of when in the game it took place.

"They are incomparable in terms of the impact – one happened on a free kick to Manchester City, in an attacking area in added time at the end of the first half. Trossard kicked the ball away and prevented City from being able to even think about restarting the game quickly, which I’m sure they would want to as it was 2-1 to Arsenal at the time."

“The other one, Liverpool were down at home to Forest, 1-0, it’s in 90+4 minutes, and there’s an offside or a foul given against Liverpool, and Szoboszlai, in frustration, kicks the ball across the penalty area," Webb said.

This is absolutely ridiculous. The same infringement but different punishments and here with the game in a state where Arsenal could arguably have quickly caught Villa out with a quick free-kick, Kamara has prevented that and gone unpunished. It needs looking at.

Fl verdict: Wrong decision, second yellow card, Kamara. Unbelievable… yet completely believable.