Arsenal faced a significant test but emerged victorious with a tense 1-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, thanks to a late goal from Leandro Trossard. This crucial win solidified their position in the Premier League title race and kept them five points clear of their closest rivals.
Pep Guardiola’s encouragement of “come on you Irons” seemed to resonate as West Ham’s striker Callum Wilson almost equalized with a stoppage-time goal that would have deeply affected Manchester City. However, after a lengthy VAR review, referee Chris Kavanagh ruled the goal out due to a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya by West Ham forward Pablo.
With Trossard’s goal coming just eight minutes before the end, Arsenal is now on the cusp of their first title in 22 years. Although they have previously triumphed at the London Stadium in their last two visits with an aggregate score of 11-2, this match proved to be one of their most challenging encounters as they approach the final stretch of the season.
Looking ahead, Arsenal’s path to the title includes a home match against relegated Burnley and a visit to Crystal Palace, who will be preoccupied with their upcoming Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
In stark contrast, West Ham’s struggles continue. They needed a win to escape the relegation zone but now find themselves four points behind Tottenham—who are likely celebrating Arsenal’s victory—as they head into their final two fixtures.
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West Ham’s recent resurgence under Nuno Espirito Santo appears to be stalling early as they face back-to-back defeats. They were almost caught off guard early on by a corner, with Trossard’s header being saved by Mads Hermansen and another hitting the post.
Although West Ham seemed to be reeling, they managed to fend off early pressure when Riccardo Calafiori redirected Declan Rice’s free kick, only for Konstantinos Mavropanos to clear it off the line as El Hadji Malick Diouf and Taty Castellanos battled for the loose ball.
Despite losing Ben White to injury—which raises concerns ahead of the Champions League final—West Ham’s formation shift saw Rice move back to right back as Martín Zubimendi was introduced.
This change gave West Ham a brief advantage as Tomás Soucek began to assert his influence, nearly giving the hosts a lead before halftime with a chance for Castellanos, whose diving header was spectacularly saved by Raya.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made necessary adjustments at halftime, reinserting Rice. With Piero Hincapié coming in at right back and Myles Lewis-Skelly taking the left back position, Arsenal regained control.
Despite a few missed long-range attempts from Bukayo Saka, Arteta’s frustration grew, leading him to substitute Martín Zubimendi and Eberechi Eze for Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz.
West Ham avoided a penalty shout when Pablo Felipe was deemed to have fallen on the ball after another free kick from Rice, and Viktor Gyökeres missed a good opportunity by heading over the bar.
Ultimately, Ødegaard managed to carve out an opening, dribbling into the box before laying the ball back for Trossard, who finished decisively and brought Arsenal closer to clinching the coveted title.