Arsenal cleared the most dangerous remaining obstacle in their path to the Premier League title by the skin of their teeth as Leandro Trossard’s late goal sealed a dramatic 1-0 win at West Ham United that restored their five-point lead on Sunday.
The visitors were living dangerously at the London Stadium but Trossard guided home a low shot from Martin Odegaard’s pass in the 83rd minute to spark delirium amongst the Arsenal fans.
Victory put Arsenal a step closer to a first Premier League title in 22 years and they will be guaranteed the crown if they win their last two games at home to Burnley and away to Crystal Palace on the final day.
Mikel Arteta’s side have 79 points from 36 games with Manchester City, who have a game in hand, on 74.
For battling West Ham it was a bitter pill to swallow as defeat left them staring at relegation and they could find themselves four points from the safety zone with two games left if Tottenham Hotspur beat Leeds United on Monday.
“A real blow. We thought we’d done so well to get back in it and had it taken away from us,” West Ham skipper Jarrod Bowen said. “It’s going to be tough. We never say never at this club.”
If Arsenal do go on to lift the title, the incident in stoppage time described by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville as the “biggest VAR call in the history of the Premier League” will be just a detail in a season-long slog with City.
But it could have serious implications for West Ham who would have deserved a point for a gritty display.
With time almost up and West Ham keeper Mads Hermansen up for a corner, the ball broke for Wilson who slammed a shot through a forest of legs and over the line.
West Ham’s fans went wild and Manchester City’s probably did too. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looked aghast but when the VAR instructed referee Chris Kavanagh to look at a possible foul by West Ham substitute Pablo on Arsenal keeper David Raya in the build-up, the stadium fell silent.
He returned to announce that the goal was disallowed and Arsenal could breathe again.
“Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee’s job is. Congratulations to the referee for making the right call in very difficult circumstances,” Arteta, whose team reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006 in midweek, said.
“It was a moment that could change the history and trajectory of two massive clubs.”
HIGH STAKES
Rarely can a London derby have carried such high stakes, with a web of permutations involving not only West Ham and Arsenal but also their common London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal fans knew victory at West Ham would move them a step closer to glory, yet that result would also hand Tottenham a gift in their fight to stay above West Ham and avoid a first relegation since 1977.
Tottenham’s fans would have faced similarly conflicted emotions as they watched from afar while West Ham’s were just focussed on extending the club’s 14-season top-flight residence.
For 20 minutes Arsenal toyed with West Ham. Trossard was twice denied — first by an outstanding save from Hermansen and then by the woodwork. Riccardo Calafiori was also thwarted by a goal-saving block from Konstantinos Mavropanos.
But West Ham almost snatched the lead just before halftime when Valentin Castellanos threw himself at a deep cross and his header was saved at full stretch by Raya.
Arsenal suffered a blow in the first half with right back Ben White hobbling off injured and Declan Rice initially covering before Arteta re-shuffled at halftime.
Cristhian Mosquera came off the bench to play at right back with Calafiori substituted and Myles Lewis-Skelly switching from midfield to left back, but Arsenal never regained their rhythm.
West Ham grew in belief and Mateus Fernandes spurned a huge chance for the hosts when he played a one-two with Pablo and looked set to score but Raya made a reflex block.
Almost immediately Arsenal struck what could be a decisive blow at both ends of the table as substitute Odegaard calmly played in Trossard and the Belgian fired home.
