This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
Arsenal's Dramatic Comeback Against Aston Villa Raises Questions ¶
On Sunday, September 22, Arsenal staged a thrilling comeback to stun Aston Villa 3-2 at Emirates Stadium in London.
The Gunners had to play with 10 men for most of the match after Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off minutes into the second half.
John McGinn opened the scoring for Aston Villa just inside 20 minutes, but Nicolas Pepe equalized for Arsenal from the spot in the 59th minute.
However, Wesley restored Aston Villa's lead a minute later, only for Calum Chambers to make it 2-2 for the hosts.
It was then that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang sealed a dramatic win with a late free-kick, but the goal has been questioned due to a new Premier League rule.
The rule states that the defending team should receive an indirect free-kick if the attacking players stand within a yard of the defending wall at free-kicks.
In Arsenal's scenario, Chambers could be seen backing onto the wall, blocking goalkeeper Tom Heaton's view - and was well within the one yard restriction.
Further, David Luiz also ran in front of the wall and was similarly within the one yard restriction zone that the new rule was designed to eradicate.
Despite this, referee Jonathan Moss and VAR failed to spot the breach and even ignored Tyrone Mings' protestation.
The hard-fought victory fired the north London side to fourth on the league standings, seven points behind leaders, Liverpool.
