The Gunners made a giant leap towards winning their maiden Premier League title since the ‘Invincibles’ days of 2004 as they edged past a battling West Ham outfit 1-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday. After an intense battle filled with dramatic turnarounds, Leandro Trossard’s 83rd-minute strike was enough to put Mikel Arteta’s team within just two wins of lifting the trophy.
For West Ham, it was a painful result in their struggle to avoid relegation. The hosts displayed an impressive defensive performance, frustrating Arsenal for long periods, before seeing a 95th-minute Callum Wilson equalizer disallowed by VAR, keeping them in a precarious position.
The Match Action
The Gunners began the match in dominant fashion, playing with the swagger of champions-elect. The visitors controlled possession for the most part in the early stages and constantly probed the home defence. Trossard dominated the playmaking duties and was involved in almost all of the positive play that Arsenal produced.
The dominance from the away side continued as Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori saw his header cleared off the line from Declan Rice’s free-kick. Trossard had already been denied in the ninth minute by West Ham’s Mads Hermansen, who produced a stunning save on the line to thwart the Belgian, with the follow-up header clattering the crossbar.
West Ham began to get themselves back into the game after Arteta was forced to make a change just before the half-hour mark, with Ben White going off injured. Arteta brought on Martin Zubimendi, temporarily deploying Rice on the right side of the defence. Late in the half, David Raya was called into action, making a fantastic full-stretch save to deny ValentÃn Castellanos’s diving header.
The latter stages were characterized by a tight tactical duel. Arteta brought on Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard in an attempt to break down the stubborn resistance of the Hammers, spearheaded by Konstantinos Mavropanos and Axel Disasi. As time ran out, the desperate hosts started mounting pressure. Before the crucial goal came, a defining incident occurred when Mateus Fernandes was played in behind the defence. The crowd held its breath as Raya stood tall, making a tremendous save with his legs to prevent the Portuguese midfielder from scoring.
The Gunners ruthlessly took advantage just six minutes later. Ødegaard, orchestrating in the final third, drove into the penalty area and pulled back a delightful ball for Trossard, who dispatched a clinical shot past Hermansen amid a sea of bodies, sending the away fans into ecstasy.
The story was not done yet, though. Deep into stoppage time, the London Stadium roared with joy as Callum Wilson scrambled the ball over the line following a corner kick. But the jubilation was short-lived. After what felt like an eternity in a nail-biting VAR review, referee Chris Kavanagh ruled that Pablo had committed a foul on Raya by pulling the goalkeeper’s arm, disallowing the goal.
The Aftermath
With the final whistle blown, euphoria took over the Arsenal dugout. The Gunners showed the spirit of champions, claiming a massive victory under incredibly tough conditions. Now sitting comfortably five points clear at the top, they know the championship trophy is firmly within their grasp.
On the other hand, West Ham’s frustrations were palpable. Despite playing an excellent defensive game and creating genuine opportunities, the Hammers were left empty-handed. Nuno EspÃrito Santo will have to lift the spirits of his devastated squad quickly, as time is running out to escape the relegation zone.
