‘That’s me innit?’ – Paul Merson responds to furious Arsenal fan after Villa collapse

Paul Merson humorously remarked that his emotions mirrored those of an upset Arsenal fan after Aston Villa’s draw with the Gunners derailed their title hopes.

Arsenal squandered a two-goal lead on Saturday, drawing 2-2 with Villa and failing to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool. Despite goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, Arsenal were pegged back by Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins’ strikes for Villa.

The result leaves Arsenal six points behind Liverpool, who had earlier beaten Brentford 2-0 and still have a game in hand.

In the aftermath at the Emirates, TV cameras caught an enraged Arsenal supporter slamming his seat and shouting, before burying his face in his hands in frustration at his side’s dropped points.

“That tells the story,” Sky Sports host David Jones commented, to which Merson joked, “That’s me, innit?”

Much of the frustration from Arsenal fans stemmed from VAR’s decision to disallow a late goal that would have put the Gunners ahead. Mikel Merino’s shot, which deflected into the net, was ruled out after being deemed to have hit Kai Havertz’s arm.

Merson expressed no issue with the decision and questioned why Havertz had celebrated the disallowed goal. “It’s a clear handball. The rules are simple: if it hits your hand… I can’t believe Havertz ran off celebrating,” he said. “It hit his arm and went in—either the keeper saves it, or it goes wide. He ran off like it was fine, but I’d understand if this was the Championship, where VAR wouldn’t be in play.”

Villa’s Ollie Watkins, however, admitted that his team got a bit fortunate with the decision. “Looking at the replay, I’m not sure—it definitely went in our favour. If it was against me, I’d be a bit disappointed,” Watkins acknowledged. “But that’s what VAR is for.”

Arsenal’s next Premier League fixture is at home to struggling Wolves, followed by a tough challenge against Manchester City. If Liverpool wins their game in hand, Arsenal could find themselves nine points adrift at the top of the table.

MSNfootballNews

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