Arsenal kept their title hopes alive thanks to VAR decision to disallow Calum Wilson late equalizer as the Gunners claimed a 1-0 victory against West Ham United.
Leandro Trossard goal made the whole difference in a match which the Gunners had to struggle to find breakthrough against a solid Hammers defense.
The match began with Arsenal asserting their dominance in possession, but West Ham’s defensive block, orchestrated by Nuno Espírito Santo, proved difficult to dismantle.
The Hammers, fighting for survival at the other end of the table, were disciplined and physical.
Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard was marked tightly, often forced deep to find the ball.
Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres did a lot of pressing, but they could not find any way through as the encounter carried on.
West Ham nearly caught the visitors on the break when Jarrod Bowen slipped past Riccardo Calafiori, but his low cross was expertly cleared by William Saliba.
By the time the halftime whistle blew, the London Stadium was a cauldron of anxiety. Arsenal had the ball, but West Ham had the composure.
The second half mirrored the first until the 60th minute, when the game finally cracked open. West Ham, buoyed by the home crowd, began to believe they could pull off an upset.
The defining moment of the Hammers’ afternoon came in the 81st minute. A slick counter-attack saw Mateus Fernandes find space in the box.
He gave the eyes to David Raya and swept a low shot toward the near post. In what will surely be remembered as one of the saves of the season, Raya threw out his right leg, blocking the ball with his thigh to keep the scores level.
That save acted as a clarion call for the Gunners. With the clock ticking toward a stalemate that would have been disastrous for Arsenal’s title charge, the breakthrough finally arrived.
In the 83rd minute, substitute Martin Odegaard who had been drifting into wider spaces delivered a pinpoint ball into the area.
Leandro Trossard, ghosting in between Jean-Clair Todibo and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, controlled the ball with a velvet touch before firing it past Mads Hermansen.
The away end erupted after the goal in the 83rd minute which made it 1-0. Mikel Arteta’s celebration, a frantic sprint down the touchline, mirrored the collective relief of a club chasing its first title in over two decades.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time, West Ham earned a corner. Jarrod Bowen swung a teasing delivery into a crowded six-yard box.
In the resulting scramble, Arsenal keeper David Raya appeared to be impeded by West Ham substitute Pablo.
The ball broke loose to Callum Wilson, who reacted with predatory instinct to lash a powerful volley into the roof of the net.
The stadium exploded as Wilson wheeled away in celebration, seemingly securing a vital point for the Hammers’ survival hopes and dealing a hammer blow to Arsenal’s title dreams.
However, the joy was short-lived as play was stopped. Referee Chris Kavanagh was called to the pitchside monitor by VAR.
After a tense three-minute review, the goal was ruled out for a foul on David Raya in the build-up. The match eventually came to an end with Arsenal claiming a 1-0 victory against West Ham United.
The fallout from this match will be felt for weeks. For West Ham, the disallowed goal feels like a sliding-doors moment in their fight to avoid the drop. They sit close to the bottom three with only two games remaining.
For Arsenal, this was the ugly win that champions are made of. They move five points clear at the top having played one game more than Manchester City and knowing that their fate is firmly in their own hands.
Arsenal were lucky to escape the Callum Wilson equalizer, but in the history books, only the three points will remain.
