One Nil to the VARsenal

There were more twists and turns at both ends of the table as West Ham narrowly lost 1-0 to Arsenal at the London Stadium following a controversial decision from VAR and the match officials.

Arsenal knew they needed a win following Manchester City’s 3-0 victory over Brentford on Saturday evening; meanwhile, West Ham need to pick up points in order to survive the threat of relegation.

The first half was arguably the better one for Arsenal, though they converted few of their chances. The main talking point of the half was an injury to Arsenal right-back Ben White, who was replaced by Martin Zubimendi. The move saw former Hammer Declan Rice slot into the full-back role, which arguably caused a loss of momentum for Arteta’s side.

David Raya put in a Man of the Match performance, including a phenomenal one-on-one save against Mateus Fernandes—a moment that could prove vital come the end of the season.

With around 10 minutes left on the clock, Martin Odegaard cut the ball back for Leandro Trossard. His strike at goal found its way in after a deflection from Tomas Soucek, sending the away end into scenes of ecstatic celebration.

VAR had not had much to do up to that point, but it swiftly became involved when West Ham thought they’d leveled through Callum Wilson following a corner for the hosts. After a lengthy delay—and what proved to be one of the season's most controversial decisions—referee Chris Kavanagh finally revealed to the stadium that the goal would not stand. Raya had supposedly been fouled as the ball came into the box.

There is still hope for West Ham fans, but the sound of pure frustration was clear at full-time. It is safe to say that the anger was aimed solely at the officials and VAR. The Hammers are staring relegation in the face and will be keeping an eye on events at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday night, when Spurs face Leeds United in a huge clash.

Arsenal now sit five points clear at the top with just two games remaining, although Manchester City have a game in hand. The Gunners welcome Burnley to the Emirates next Monday before travelling across London to face Crystal Palace on the final day of the season as they look for their first title in two decades.

West Ham face a tough trip to Newcastle next weekend before a final game of the season at home against Leeds United. They are currently one point from safety but could find themselves four points behind should Leeds beat Spurs.