Arsenal beat West Ham 1-0 thanks to Leandro Trossard's 83rd-minute winner, then survived a stoppage-time scare when VAR ruled out Callum Wilson's equaliser for a foul on David Raya. The result sent Arsenal five points clear at the top on 76 points. It was not smooth, but it was exactly the kind of away win a title race demands.

Gary Neville called it "a dog of a match" on rte.ie, and that sounded about right. This was tense, awkward and short on fluency for long spells. Arsenal still found the one decisive attacking move, and that was enough.

What actually decided Arsenal vs West Ham

The key moment came in the 83rd minute. Martin Ødegaard, introduced from the bench, drove into the area and laid the ball back for Trossard to drill home.

That contribution mattered because Arsenal had needed a cleaner final action than they had shown for much of the night. Trossard finished with a 7.9 match rating, the highest among Arsenal's attackers in the brief, and his season numbers now stand at 6 Premier League goals and 6 Premier League assists. He has not carried Arsenal's attack on his own, but he has become a regular contributor in games where one action can settle everything.

Ødegaard's role deserves proper weight too. His assist was his sixth in the league this season, and it changed the shape of the game. West Ham had kept Arsenal frustrated for most of the second half, yet one sharp dribble and one simple pass were enough to open them up.

There was nothing emphatic about Arsenal's control after that. The match stayed alive until deep into stoppage time, which is why the VAR intervention now sits alongside the winning goal as the other moment everyone will remember.

Why the VAR call mattered as much as the winner

In the 95th minute, Wilson thought he had rescued a point for West Ham. The goal did not stand. VAR judged there had been a foul on Raya, and Arsenal held on.

Some outlets have framed the finish as a West Ham equaliser being scrubbed away. Others have focused more on the foul on Raya than on the finish itself. Both descriptions are fair enough because they describe different parts of the same incident, but the more important point is the one that affected the table: Arsenal kept the clean sheet and the three points.

The Sky Sports match report put it in dramatic terms, saying: "VAR had its biggest moment in Premier League history as Arsenal held on to beat West Ham 1-0 thanks to Callum Wilson's 95th-minute equaliser being ruled out for a foul on David Raya." You do not need to go quite that far to recognise how big the intervention was. Without it, this becomes a draw and the title picture looks very different.

For West Ham, the defeat left them 18th on 36 points, one point behind Tottenham with two matches left. That explains why the ending felt so charged from both sides. Arsenal were protecting a title push. West Ham were chasing a result with obvious value at the other end of the table.

Why this was a better result than performance for Arsenal

Arsenal will not pretend this was one of their slicker nights. The game state, the late goal and the stoppage-time review tell you enough about how uncomfortable it became. Still, league titles are pushed along by results like this as much as by dominant wins.

The numbers behind the table are the clearest part of the story. Arsenal moved to 76 points and opened a five-point lead at the top. That is the headline fact from the night.

There was also a reminder that this ground has been kind to them recently. Arsenal have now won on their last two visits to the London Stadium by an aggregate score of 11-2. This one looked nothing like a rout, but the points count the same.

Mikel Arteta's side got their goal from Trossard, their assist from Ødegaard, and their final relief from a VAR decision that went their way. Arsenal left east London with the lead in the table intact, while West Ham were left with two matches to try to escape 18th.

FAQ

How did Arsenal beat West Ham in such a tense game?

Arsenal won 1-0 because Leandro Trossard scored in the 83rd minute at the London Stadium. Martin Ødegaard created the goal after coming off the bench. West Ham thought they had a 95th-minute equaliser through Callum Wilson, but VAR ruled it out for a foul on David Raya.

Why was Callum Wilson's goal against Arsenal disallowed by VAR?

The equaliser was ruled out after VAR judged there had been a foul on David Raya. Some reports framed it around the disallowed West Ham goal, while others focused more on the foul itself, but the outcome was the same: Arsenal kept their 1-0 lead in stoppage time.

What did Martin Ødegaard do against West Ham after coming on?

Ødegaard changed the game by supplying the assist for Leandro Trossard's winner. He danced into the area and laid the ball back for Trossard to score in the 83rd minute. That was his sixth Premier League assist of the season and the decisive attacking action of the match.

How important was the Arsenal win over West Ham in the title race?

It was a big result because Arsenal left east London five points clear at the top of the Premier League table with 76 points. The performance was tense rather than comfortable, but they avoided dropping points on a night the title race left little room for that.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 8 outlets. How we work →