Mikel Arteta repeats ‘clear and obvious’ when asked about Kai Havertz handball in Arsenal draw at Aston Villa

Mikel Arteta gave a cryptic response to the decision to disallow Kai Havertz’s late equaliser at Aston Villa, repeating the phrase “clear and obvious” when asked for his views.

Havertz bundled the ball over the line in the closing minutes at Villa Park to seemingly make the score 1-1, only for referee Jarred Gillett to immediately penalise the Arsenal midfielder for handball.

Replays appeared to show the ball grazing Havertz’s hand before he poked it into the net. FA rules state “it is an offence if a player scores immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental.”

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Highlights from Aston Villa’s match against Arsenal in the Premier League

Speaking to Sky Sports, Arteta simply said: “I prefer not to comment.” The manager was also unhappy about the decision not to penalise Douglas Luiz for what he believed to be a foul in the area on Gabriel Jesus, saying that incident was “even clearer”.

When pushed on his response to the two flashpoints in his post-match press conference, Arteta simply said: “Clear and obvious. Clear and obvious. That’s what I mean.

“That’s my opinion. That’s all I can say.”

Arteta is already in hot water with the FA for his outspoken criticism of the decision to award Anthony Gordon’s winner for Newcastle against Arsenal last month.

Redknapp: It’s a rubbish rule

Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp admitted Gillett and the VAR officials – who spent several minutes checking the disallowed goal before agreeing with the on-field call – made the correct decision.

However, he hit out at the rules themselves, saying: “Unfortunately it’s the rule. It’s a terrible rule that if the ball touches a player’s hand and then a goal occurs after it, it then becomes a handball – which is ridiculous when you think about it.

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Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta decided against giving any response on the two big decisions that went against his side in their defeat to Aston Villa

“It’s a rubbish rule. How can that be handball? It looks like it could hit Matty Cash, it’s just rebounding around.

“Go back to handball, ball to hand. I think that we’re getting ourselves in such a mess with these rules all the time.

“How on earth can that be handball? He’s not meant to do it. It’s a rubbish law.

“It’s the rule at the moment, but if we’re trying to help football and trying to improve it and make it a better spectacle with more goals, then the powers that be have to look at that and go, ‘It’s a rubbish rule’.

“It’s grazed his arm. He’s not meant to do it. If he sticks his arm out and it hits his hand, that would be handball anyway.

“But whoever’s decided to come up with that as the law, I think it’s ridiculous because it’s cost Arsenal a goal.”

‘Jesus incident wasn’t a penalty’

However, Redknapp and Karen Carney had less sympathy for Arteta when it came to the Luiz tackle on Jesus.

Gillett decided not to award Arsenal a penalty after the Brazil internationals collided and VAR agreed after a short check.

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Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery reflects on their win over Arsenal and discusses whether they can continue challenging at the top of the table

“Arsenal fans will be saying there’s contact but when I first saw it, for me it wasn’t enough,” Carney said on Sky Sports.

“The threshold wasn’t high enough to give a penalty.

“He does slightly hook his leg but for me it’s not enough, so I don’t think it is a penalty.”

Redknapp added: “We saw one today with Crystal Palace and Liverpool and people are trying to compare that, but I don’t think they’re the same.

“I don’t think that one is a penalty.”