Zat Knight scored in stoppage time as Aston Villa battled back from two goals down last night to claim the draw with Arsenal that kept them three points clear in the contest for a Champions League place and may have all but ended the title aspirations of Arsène Wenger’s side

Arsenal are ten points adrift of Liverpool, who remain top of the Barclays Premier League after an impressive 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. Wenger accused Villa of applying pressure on Lee Mason, the referee, during the half-time interval. “I know how it works here,” the Arsenal manager said after his side for the third match in succession failed to defend a lead.

“At half-time, the referee gets some stick and then every little 50-50 [decision] goes the other way. That’s what happens. I waited at half-time to see what happens and I was not disappointed.” Asked to clarify his complaint, Wenger said: “I don’t need to explain any more.”

Martin O’Neill, the Villa manager, had been furious that Gabriel Agbonlahor may have been fouled by Alexandre Song early in the move that led to Denilson giving Arsenal the lead five minutes before the interval. In the second half Abou Diaby scored a brilliant second before Agbonlahor was adjudged to have been brought down by William Gallas.

After Gareth Barry had scored from the penalty spot, the managers exchanged verbal fisticuffs before Stuart Atwell, the fourth official, intervened. Mason was called over before O’Neill instigated a handshake.

“I have no discussions with O’Neill,” Wenger said. Asked why the fourth official had therefore needed to intervene, he added: “You should ask him. The dugouts here are very close. Why should we not shake hands?”

Liverpool reaffirmed their status as genuine title contenders, ending a run of three successive home draws courtesy of a brace from Robbie Keane. The Ireland striker has scored three goals in the past two matches after a difficult start to his career at Anfield to leave his side top at the halfway stage of the season for the first time since 1996.

Liverpool lead Chelsea by a point after Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side had briefly returned to the top thanks to a 2-0 lunchtime win over West Bromwich Albion, while United moved above Villa into third place with a 1-0 win away to Stoke City, secured by a late goal from Carlos Tévez.

The most extraordinary scenes of the day came at the City of Manchester Stadium, where Phil Brown gave his players a furious talking-to at half-time during Hull City’s 5-1 defeat by Manchester City. Hull trailed 4-0 at the interval after conceding four goals in 21 minutes, prompting Brown to call his players back from the tunnel and make them return to the goal that they had failed properly to defend.

Brown applauded the Hull supporters massed behind that goal, then proceeded to order his players to sit in the penalty area as he administered a verbal dressing-down in a scenario that seemed to come straight out of Sunday league football. After five humiliating minutes, the Hull manager marched his players off the field.

“Our mentality was wrong,” Brown said. “That first-half performance was not characteristic and I will not accept that kind of performance or that level of commitment. I think the players need to know what I’m all about.”