ARSENAL 2-2 ASTON VILLA: The Gunners allowed former manager Unai Emery and title rivals Liverpool to get in their heads as they surrendered a two-goal lead

Mohamed Salah appeared to take a veiled swipe at Arsenal following their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, a result which left Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League

Arsenal have just over two weeks to make new singings before the January transfer window slams shut and RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko has been tipped for a mega £70million move

After a standout season with Mallorca, Lauren received a wealth of interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Roma, but he ultimately decided to make the move to Highbury under Arsene Wenger

Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead against Aston Villa on Saturday, denting their Premier League title hopes and seeing star Raheem Sterling come in for more criticism

Arsenal's lack of squad depth was exposed as Aston Villa came from 2-0 down to draw in the Premier League on Saturday against an injury-depleted side at the Emirates Stadium

Eight minutes of nonsense have all but put paid to manager’s title dreams after draw with Aston VillaMikel Arteta dropped to his haunches, laid his hand on his brow and let his head slump. When he looked up again, he had his thumb and forefinger to his eyes. It was the fifth minute of injury time, Leandro Trossard had just rolled a shot wide and Arsenal’s final chance had vanished. With it, perhaps, so had their hopes of winning the league. At the very least, the gains of Wednesday were handed back.As it turned out Trossard, who had been Arsenal’s most dangerous forward, may have been a fraction offside anyway, which perhaps would have been the most fitting conclusion. In the previous eight minutes, Mikel Merino had seen a goalbound shot deflected in off Kai Havertz’s hand and hit the inside of a post. There was a sense in those closing stages of the fates, or at least Arsenal’s chronic inability to seize the moment, being against them. Continue reading...

William Saliba missed Arsenal's 2-2 draw with Aston Villa because of a hamstring injury and Mikel Arteta provided a concerning update on his star defender post-match

Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa: Visitors come from two goals down to grab a result in entertaining clash

Gunners struggled in defence against Aston Villa in Saliba’s absence

Arsenal threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners seeing what they thought was a late winner ruled out for handball

Arsenal trail Liverpool by six points having played a game more

Mikel Arteta looked like he had seen a ghost. With his side leading 2-0 against Aston Villa thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz, the Arsenal manager must have felt they were within touching distance of a cathartic victory that would keep up the pressure on Liverpool.But having seen the Premier League leaders seal a dramatic late victory over Brentford earlier in the afternoon, once again Unai Emery had other plans against his former club. Arteta could only watch on in horror as Youri Tielemens pulled one back before Ollie Watkins volleyed home the equaliser to the delight of the Villa supporters and their manager, who celebrated wildly at the final whistle as he did back in March after a 2-0 victory here that eventually proved terminal to Arsenal’s title challenge last season. Yet even when it seemed they might have won it late on through Mikel Merino, Arsenal’s joy was short-lived as VAR ruled Havertz had diverted the Spaniard’s effort in with his arm to ensure ...

A shot from Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino deflected off Kai Havertz and past Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, briefly making it 3-2 to the Gunners before the late goal was ruled out

Mikel Arteta wasn't happy with a decision during Arsenal's Premier League clash with Aston Villa, with the Gunners desperate for three points following title rivals Liverpool's late victory

Mikel Arteta’s side look to keep up the pressure on league leaders Liverpool

Frenchman was seen holding his hamstring late in the midweek win over Tottenham

Reds will hope to go seven points clear and put pressure back on Arsenal in the title race

William Saliba has been a key player for Arsenal this season, helping them to secure the best defensive record in the Premier League, but the Frenchman could now be sidelined through injury

Mikel Arteta could be tempted to make changes for latest tough assignment in packed January

Arriving just eight games into Mikel Arteta's tenure at Arsenal, Cedric Soares oversaw the evolution of the north London club who've become title contenders under the stewardship of the Spaniard

Brentford boss Thomas Frank thought his side had held off the Premier League leaders and would be earning a point - only for two late Darwin Nunez goals to hand Liverpool victory in London

The transfer window is in full swing with clubs in the Premier League and across Europe seeking deals

The transfer window is in full swing with clubs in the Premier League and across Europe seeking deals

ARSENAL 2-2 ASTON VILLA: VAR rules out a late Kai Havertz winner for handball as the Gunners blow a two-goal lead to slip further behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League

Arsenal's draw with Aston Villa left them six points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, but there's still time to add new players to their squad in January

William Saliba is the latest casualty for the Gunners

January window continues to ramp up with some major deals possible

DANNY MURPHY: The tension even filtered its way to Mikel Arteta who has been less excitable on the touchline in general this season but reverted to type as his side lost their way at the Emirates.

Liverpool moved six points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League after Darwin Nunez's dramatic late brace combined with Aston Villa's comeback at the Emirates Stadium

Arsenal were short of options as they chased a late winner against Aston Villa

Gunners were two-goals up in second-half but could not see out victory

Mikel Arteta could only watch on as Arsenal went through every emotion in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa after leading 2-0 before the hour mark

Arsenal hold narrow half-time lead

Mikel Arteta’s side look to keep up the pressure on league leaders Liverpool

Gunners forced into change in defence after fresh injury concern

Injury-hit Arsenal are pondering whether to sign one of their summer transfer targets during the current transfer window, but have competition in the form of Barcelona

Villa boss Unai Emery has strong record against his former club

Reds will hope to go seven points clear and put pressure back on Arsenal in the title race

Manchester United have made their position clear on long-term target Viktor Gyokeres in the January transfer window but are working on a number of deals, while there could also be a few exits from Old Trafford

January window is ramping up with some major deals possible

Arsenal are one of a number of clubs interested in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko and the Gunners could face fresh competition in the form of Barcelona

Mikel Arteta looking to get one over former Gunners boss Unai Emery

Liverpool currently lead the way in the Premier League table, with Arsenal sitting just four points behind Arne Slot's Reds ahead of this weekend's round of matches

Arsenal have pulled themselves back into the Premier League title race but Mikel Arteta may need the club to dip into the transfer market this month to bolster his options if they want to be crowned champions

There are just over two weeks remaining of the January transfer window, with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool scrambling to complete deals before the deadline

Arsenal are aiming to sign a new striker in January and a few candidates are already under consideration including Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting Lisbon and Red Bull Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko

The Gunners dropped two vital points in the Premier League title race on Saturday as they let a two-goal lead slip against Aston Villa, after Liverpool's late win at Brentford

Arsenal could only manage a draw against Aston Villa as Mikel Arteta bemoaned his lack of options on the bench after his side were unable to earn victory and fell further behind Liverpool

Arsenal's title hopes were dealt a huge set-back after blowing their 2-0 lead over Aston Villa, with the Gunners left frustrated by Mikel Merino's late strike being ruled out by VAR

William Saliba is the latest casualty for the Gunners.

Dusan Vlahovic is being linked with another move to Arsenal, who remain in need of a prolifice centre-forward, having chosen to join Juventus instead two years ago

Injuries to Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus have left the Gunners light in attacking areas

Bukayo Saka, who was pictured while steadying himself on crutches, is not due back in action until March after suffering a hamstring injury and the absence of the Arsenal talisman remains keenly felt

There has been no confirmation on the status of British-linked hostages, including Emily Damari, Eli Sharabi, Oded Lifschitz and Avinatan Or.

SAMI MOKBEL: The sight of Sterling's pained expression as he trudged off the field following his 61st-minute substitution in Wednesday night's north London derby was a hard watch.