Kai Havertz squares off against Emiliano Martinez as tempers flare after Arsenal had a last-minute goal disallowed for handball during their defeat to Aston Villa
Kai Havertz took on Emiliano Martinez in a dramatic finale to Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday night.
Tempers flared when VAR ruled out Arsenal’s equalizer at the last gasp after the German midfielder appeared to handball inside the six-yard box and Eddie Nketiah fired the ball into the back of the net.
The game continued and Arsenal attempted to score by sending several long balls into the Villa penalty area. Martinez jumped to pick up one of the crosses in the air but Havertz pushed him to the floor, sparking an altercation.
The Arsenal player stepped up to face the 2023 Yashin Trophy winner, going toe-to-toe with him in the heat of the moment.
The players gathered around them to break up the standoff, with Pau Torres pushing Havertz away from Martinez.
Kai Havertz and Emiliano Martinez battled in the embers of Aston Villa’s 1-0 win over Arsenal.
It was a heated moment in the game when Pau Torres stepped in and separated the two players.
It came after Havertz pushed Martinez to the ground in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Despite this, Arsenal failed to get a goal back, with Unai Emery’s side now beating the Premier League champions and former league leaders in three days.
John McGinn’s first-half goal proved the difference as Villa Park erupted in delight in normal time.
The result means Villa are now unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions and have also beaten Tottenham and Fulham.
Arsenal, meanwhile, suffered their second defeat of the 2023-24 season and, despite going top of the table at the weekend, have now dropped to second place, one point behind Liverpool, who won by a score earlier on Saturday 2–1 over Crystal Palace. .
Despite the defeat, Mikel Arteta praised his side’s performance after the match, with the Gunners having more shots on target and possession than Villa.
“Really good game. I thought we were the better team and didn’t deserve to lose at all, but that’s football,” he told Sky Sports after the match.
Arteta initially refused to comment on the refereeing decision late in the game, which could have led to the Gunners having one goal withdrawn, but he walked back his comments when asked if he had an opinion on the decision.
“I have a big opinion,” he said flatly. He added to BBC Match of the Day: “For me it is clear and obvious.”
Regarding his team’s failure to score, he added: “Because you have to put the ball in the net and that’s the only thing we missed today.” We created some big chances by moving the ball higher. We still lost.
The pair exchanged some heated words as Arsenal had a goal disallowed moments earlier.
The German midfielder appeared to have handled the ball in goal before Eddie Nketiah sent the ball into the back of the net.
The referee initially saw the handball and disallowed the goal, but the VAR intervened to confirm the decision was correct.
John McGinn played again for Villa, scoring the only goal of the match to help the team to their sixth win in seven games.
Meanwhile, Havertz has risen up the hierarchy of Spanish managers in recent times, scoring in three of his last five matches for Arsenal.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard also weighed in on the handball decision, telling Sky Sports: “I thought it was a goal but I didn’t see it so I don’t want to say too much.”
Although Arsenal dropped three points today, the Norwegian added that he believes his team is the better team.”
“It’s still too early in the season, it’s an important game and we wanted to get three points. Villa are a great team and to their credit they are well organized and have good possession. But we were the better team.”
Mikel Arteta had to watch the game from the stands while he served his suspension.
Having climbed to the top of the league at the weekend, Arsenal dropped to second place after Liverpool recorded a late win over Crystal Palace earlier on Saturday.
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