Aston Villa's Watkins claims Havertz goal should have counted in shocking admission after Arsenal draw (WATCH)

Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins has unexpectedly claimed that Arsenal were unfairly penalized when their third goal was disallowed for a handball during Saturday's exciting 2-2 draw.

The Gunners initially took the lead with Gabriel Martinelli's goal, followed by Kai Havertz extending their advantage early in the second half. However, Youri Tielemans and Watkins struck to level the score.

This result came on the same day Liverpool secured a late win over Brentford, further widening the gap at the top of the Premier League, as Aston Villa once again frustrated Arsenal at the Emirates.

As the Gunners pressed for a crucial fifth goal, Havertz believed he had added to his tally when Mikel Merino's shot deflected off him in the dying moments of the match.

However, following a VAR review, it was determined that the ball had struck Havertz's arm, not his midriff as he had argued. As a result, the game ended 2-2, with the points shared.

Afterward, Watkins told Sky he was 'not sure' the correct decision had been made, even though it was a call that worked in his team's favour.

"Seeing it back there I am not sure, think it’s gone in favour for us, if that was against me I think I would be disappointed," he told Sky Sports. "From that angle I’m not sure but that’s what VAR is there for."

"We got the goal from Youri, we went up the pitch and he nearly scored again. Got a lot of momentum from that and faith when we went forward on transition there was chances to be had. We knew they went man-for-man, Gabriel on me, Partey on Jacob, we were man-for-man at the back and a few times I could have done better in first-half. Chances there to be taken and they [Arsenal] were always a little bit open," Watkins added.

It was a tough result for the Gunners, who have now won just once in their last five matches across all competitions.

A draw with Brighton was followed by consecutive home defeats in the cup against Newcastle and Manchester United, with the Villa draw coming after a midweek victory in the north London derby.

Havertz, however, seemed to believe he had done enough to secure an important late win, celebrating his deflected goal before it was ruled out by VAR.

While Havertz may have been uncertain, Paul Merson in the Sky Sports studio had no doubts about the legitimacy of the "goal."

"I can't believe Havertz has run away. It's hit his hand and he's run off. I can understand if it's in the Championship, you're going to get away with it, there's no VAR," Merson said.

Lee Hendrie appeared just as doubtful about Havertz's reaction, saying, "As a player, surely you know."

Merson chimed in, adding, "It's not a tight one!"

Following the frustration of Saturday's draw at home, Arsenal will need to regroup ahead of their midweek Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb.

Meanwhile, Villa will be preparing for a trip to Monaco on Tuesday, aiming to put themselves in the best position to advance to the next round of Europe’s premier competition.