Mikel Arteta has said the VAR had a "difficult" decision when awarding a handball that denied Arsenal a game-winning goal against Aston Villa on Saturday.

LONDON — The Arsenal vs Aston Villa player ratings were a lot of fun to dish out after a pulsating clash on Saturday. Arsenal were 2-0 up and cruising but Aston Villa came flying back and grabbed an unlikely point to dent the Gunners’ title push. Below are the Arsenal vs Aston Villa player ratings out of 10, with analysis on each player.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told Bukayo Saka to take a well-earned holiday. Saka is currently out injured after tearing his hamstring last month and is not expected back in action until at least March. The injury is the first major one of Saka’s career and prior to that he had been one of Arsenal and England’s most consistent performers.