Arsenal took another massive step toward the Premier League title after grinding out a nervy 1-0 victory over West Ham United on Sunday evening at the London Stadium.
With Manchester City keeping the pressure on after their win over Brentford, Mikel Arteta’s men knew only victory would keep them firmly in control of the title race. After surviving a late West Ham onslaught and a dramatic VAR review deep into stoppage time, the Gunners now sit just two wins away from lifting their first league crown since 2004.
Leandro Trossard emerged as Arsenal’s hero in the 83rd minute when he calmly slotted home after brilliant work from captain Martin Odegaard. The Norwegian midfielder exchanged a clever one-two with Declan Rice before delivering a precise pass into the box for Trossard, who finished into the bottom-right corner to finally break the deadlock.
The goal arrived after an intense contest in which Arsenal dominated early proceedings but struggled to convert their chances. The visitors started brightly and nearly scored inside the opening 10 minutes when Trossard’s header from a Rice corner was brilliantly saved by Mads Hermansen before the Belgian rattled the crossbar with the rebound.
Riccardo Calafiori also came close moments later after latching onto a through ball from Trossard, but Konstantinos Mavropanos recovered brilliantly to block the effort behind for a corner.
Despite Arsenal’s early pressure, West Ham gradually settled into the match and began threatening on the counterattack through Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville. The hosts nearly stunned Arsenal just before half-time when Aaron Wan-Bissaka whipped in a dangerous cross for Valentin Castellanos, whose diving header forced David Raya into an outstanding save.
The second half became increasingly tense as both teams fought for crucial points at opposite ends of the table. Arsenal were chasing the title while West Ham desperately needed points in their battle against relegation.
West Ham thought they had their best opportunity to score in the 78th minute when Mateus Fernandes burst into the box following a neat exchange with Pablo. However, the Portuguese midfielder failed to beat Raya one-on-one as the Spanish goalkeeper produced another huge save to preserve Arsenal’s clean sheet.
That miss proved costly minutes later as Arsenal found the breakthrough through Trossard.
The drama was far from over though.
Deep into stoppage time, Callum Wilson appeared to have rescued a priceless point for West Ham when he bundled home from a chaotic corner situation, sending the London Stadium into wild celebrations. However, VAR intervened and referee Chris Kavanagh was sent to the monitor to review a foul on Raya by Pablo.
After reviewing the incident, the goal was disallowed for interference on the Arsenal goalkeeper, crushing West Ham hearts and sparking huge celebrations among the travelling Arsenal supporters.
The victory leaves Arsenal on the brink of Premier League glory, with matches against Burnley and Crystal Palace remaining. Arteta’s side know maximum points from their final two fixtures will secure the title regardless of Manchester City’s results.
For West Ham, the defeat leaves them stuck in the relegation zone and under increasing pressure ahead of the final stretch of the campaign.
