Arsenal Survived Late scare to Edge out West Ham United at London stadium

Arsenal took another giant stride towards ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title with a nerve-shredding 1-0 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday but they had to survive a dramatic late VAR intervention before they could celebrate three precious points.

Leandro Trossard struck five minutes from time to give Arsenal a precious win in east London, pouncing from Martin Odegaard’s cutback inside the area to finally break the deadlock in a contest that had threatened to yield nothing. It was an afternoon that tested Mikel Arteta’s men in every conceivable way and they passed, just about.

Arsenal entered the match leading the league with 76 points, knowing victory would strengthen their title push, while West Ham started the day in 18th place with 36 points, desperately needing a positive result to improve their survival hopes. The collision of those two vastly different ambitions made for a taut, charged atmosphere from the first whistle.

The Gunners were the dominant force early on. They registered nine shots in an opening 22-minute blitz, but were repeatedly denied by the heroics of Mads Hermansen and a goal-line block from Konstantinos Mavropanos. Arsenal struck the woodwork and had another effort cleared off the line, the kind of accumulating misfortune that in previous seasons has defined their most agonising afternoons.

The biggest setback of the first half came in the 28th minute when defender Ben White left the pitch with an injury, with midfielder Martín Zubimendi introduced as Arteta reshaped his side. West Ham, for their part, were not without menace. David Raya was called into action before the break, springing to his right to keep out Taty Castellanos’s diving header at full stretch after the Hammers broke away on the left wing. The Argentine striker had been a constant irritant, and the save was of the highest order.

Cristhian Mosquera came on at right-back at half-time to push Declan Rice back into midfield, and the tactical shift gave Arsenal more control in the engine room. Yet the breakthrough still would not come. Bukayo Saka had two shots from distance sail over the bar as the Gunners patiently looked for openings.

In the 67th minute, Arteta turned to his bench, introducing Odegaard and Kai Havertz two men with the quality to change a game in an instant. Arsenal saw appeals for a penalty turned down for a possible handball as West Ham scrambled to clear a free-kick, the protests loud but ultimately futile.

West Ham, whose relegation fears had grown louder with each passing minute, began pressing with increasing urgency. Raya made a huge save to deny Mateus Fernandes when the Portuguese midfielder bore down on goal, staying big to save with his legs in a moment that may prove as decisive as the goal itself. Had that gone in, the complexion of Arsenal’s entire season could have shifted.

Instead, it was the Gunners who struck. Odegaard, so often their conductor-in-chief, found Trossard with a precise cutback inside the area, and the Belgian quiet for much of the afternoon rolled the finish beyond Hermansen with the composure of a man who knew exactly what it meant. It ended a run of 14 appearances without a league goal for Trossard, and few goals this season will carry greater weight.

But the drama was far from over. Deep into stoppage time, the London Stadium erupted when substitute Callum Wilson appeared to haul West Ham level only for VAR to intervene. After an agonising check, the equaliser was ruled out for a foul on goalkeeper Raya, leaving the home supporters furious and the Arsenal bench pouring onto the touchline in sheer, unbridled relief.

Trossard’s goal had kept Arsenal five points clear of their rivals and put them on the brink of a first title in 22 years. Now, all that stands between them and the trophy is a home game against relegated Burnley and a trip to Crystal Palace — a side who will have their minds firmly on a Conference League final three days later.

For West Ham, defeat means back-to-back Premier League losses for the first time since the opening two games of 2026, ending a six-game unbeaten home run. Their survival fight grows ever more desperate, and Sunday offered a cruel reminder of the gulf in class between the top and bottom of the table.Arsenal, though, will care little for that tonight. A title 22 years in the making is now almost within touching distance — and Trossard’s moment of brilliance may just have been the one that delivered it.