Arsenal’s draw with Aston Villa highlighted one glaringly obvious flaw that WILL cost Gunners the Premier League title, writes DANNY MURPHY – and it’s NOT their lack of a top striker

For all the talk of Arsenal missing a top class striker, Saturday night’s setback against Aston Villa was more to do with a lack of discipline and squad strength.

Liverpool have sent on Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas and Darwin Nunez in the last couple of games to change results whereas Arsenal haven’t been able to after losing Bukayo Saka, Ben White and now William Saliba to injury.

The ‘normal’ Arsenal would have finished the job off having led Villa 2-0. But they weren’t as calm without Saliba in the heart of their defence.

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.

Everything about Arsenal smacked of desperation in this damaging draw against Villa.

The end result is that Arsenal are now six points behind Liverpool, having played a game more than their title rivals.

Arne Slot’s players won’t be celebrating and will say the right things in front of the TV cameras but I’ve been in dressing rooms and, believe me, there will have been a few more smiles in the camp heading back to Merseyside than there would have been if Arsenal had seen out the game and won.

At some point, having to play people out of position will have a negative impact and we saw that with a midfielder Thomas Partey deployed at right back.

He didn’t close down Lucas Digne for Villa’s first goal and stepped out at the wrong time, leaving Ollie Watkins onside for the equaliser.

You could see the shock run through the whole stadium.

It was all very manic as Arsenal then tried to get the winner — like a basketball game.

It was fantastic entertainment but not necessarily what winning league championships is about.

They would have known Aston Villa have speed and would look to counter so I don’t think, once ahead, there was any point in taking risks.

Killing the game would have been sufficient given the stakes.

It shows how important Saliba’s presence is in the Arsenal backline. 

He’s not a particularly vocal player, a shouter, but instead leads by example but he would have helped Arsenal soak up pressure.

We’ve seen them do it before but they’re not as good at it with key components missing.

That lack of strength in depth is hitting them. Jota and Tsimikas combined for the equaliser in midweek against Nottingham Forest only seconds after coming off the bench.

Slot’s changes at Brentford on Saturday — sending on Nunez, Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott — all played a part in their decisive injury-time goals. 

That strength in depth is something Arteta must envy.

Raheem Sterling was probably signed for such occasions but he hasn’t hit the ground running for Arsenal and even someone as experienced and successful as he is, needs to build confidence and belief.

The big narrative this season has been about Arsenal lacking a consistent goalscorer but I see it differently.

Their Achilles heel has actually been their inability to keep clean sheets. They don’t look cohesive from a defensive point of view — especially with Saliba missing — and that’s why Villa left north London with a draw.

On that Liverpool coach back north, senior players like Virgil van Dijk may be trying to remind the younger ones not to get carried away with the game in hand — a Merseyside derby, the last at Goodison Park.

But you can’t avoid the feeling that Liverpool are probably going to win the title. The simple fact is that they can handle injuries and absences better than Arsenal can at the moment.

And the way they manage games is currently better than the way Arsenal are doing it as well.