Arsenal benefited from a dramatic stoppage-time VAR intervention to secure a potentially title-defining 1-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday, May 10.
The match exploded into controversy in the 94th minute when West Ham thought they had snatched a dramatic equaliser from a late corner. During a frantic goalmouth scramble, Callum Wilson smashed the ball into the net, sending the home crowd into celebration and seemingly earning the Hammers a crucial point in their relegation fight.
But Arsenal players and manager Mikel Arteta immediately protested, claiming goalkeeper David Raya had been fouled in the build-up. Following a lengthy VAR review, the goal was disallowed after officials judged that Pablo Felipe, who had one arm across the Arsenal keeper, had fouled Raya inside the six-yard box.
The decision preserved Arsenal’s narrow lead and could yet prove one of the defining moments of the Premier League season.
Before the late chaos, Arsenal had finally broken the deadlock in the 83rd minute through Leandro Trossard. Martin Odegaard exchanged passes with Declan Rice before slipping a precise through ball into Trossard’s path, with the Belgian forward firing beyond Mads Hermansen to put the visitors ahead.
Arsenal had dominated large stretches of the contest and created several chances early on. Riccardo Calafiori threatened repeatedly in the opening stages, first dragging an effort over the crossbar before seeing a close-range flick blocked by Konstantinos Mavropanos inside the box.
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West Ham still produced dangerous moments of their own and were denied repeatedly by Raya, who delivered two major saves to keep Arsenal’s title push alive. The Spaniard brilliantly tipped away Valentín Castellanos’ diving header just before halftime after a dangerous Aaron Wan-Bissaka delivery, before later producing a crucial one-on-one stop against Mateus Fernandes.
The cleansheet also means Raya secured the Premier League ‘Golden Glove’ award, taking his tally up to 18 clean sheets this season, which cannot be matched. It’s the third consecutive season that the Arsenal keeper has won the award.
From the sidelines, Arteta’s substitutions eventually proved decisive. The introduction of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz injected fresh creativity into Arsenal’s attack, with Odegaard directly contributing to the winning goal moments later.
The victory restores Arsenal’s five-point lead at the top of the EPL 2025-26 points table.
Manchester City had earlier increased the pressure with a 3-0 win over Brentford, courtesy of goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush, temporarily reducing Arsenal’s lead to two points.
But Arsenal now move onto 79 points from 36 matches, while City remain on 74 with a game in hand.
The run-in increasingly favours Arteta’s side. Arsenal’s final two fixtures come against already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, while Manchester City still face Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Aston Villa in a far more demanding closing schedule.
The result leaves City with virtually no room for error if they are to retain the Premier League crown.
At the bottom of the table, the defeat was equally painful for West Ham.
The Hammers remain 18th on 36 points, one behind Tottenham Hotspur in 17th, with survival now hanging in the balance. Had Wilson’s late effort stood, West Ham would have moved level on points with Spurs.
Arsenal’s win therefore not only strengthened their own title hopes, but also handed north London rivals Tottenham a major boost in the relegation battle.
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest confirmed their Premier League survival after Elliot Anderson’s late equaliser secured a 1-1 draw against Newcastle United and moved Forest seven points clear of the drop zone.
Here’s a look at how the EPL 2025-26 points table stands after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over West Ham.
| Pos | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Arsenal | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 68 | 26 | 42 | 79 |
| 2 | Man City | 35 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 72 | 32 | 40 | 74 |
| 3 | Man United | 36 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 63 | 48 | 15 | 65 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 60 | 48 | 12 | 59 |
| 5 | Aston Villa | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 50 | 46 | 4 | 59 |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 36 | 13 | 16 | 7 | 56 | 52 | 4 | 55 |
| 7 | Brighton | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 52 | 42 | 10 | 53 |
| 8 | Brentford | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 52 | 49 | 3 | 51 |
| 9 | Chelsea | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 55 | 49 | 6 | 49 |
| 10 | Everton | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 49 |
| 11 | Fulham | 36 | 14 | 6 | 16 | 44 | 50 | -6 | 48 |
| 12 | Sunderland | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 37 | 46 | -9 | 48 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 50 | 52 | -2 | 46 |
| 14 | Palace | 35 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 38 | 44 | -6 | 44 |
| 15 | Nottm Forest | 36 | 11 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 47 | -2 | 43 |
| 16 | Leeds | 35 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 47 | 52 | -5 | 43 |
| 17 | Tottenham | 35 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 45 | 54 | -9 | 37 |
| 18 | West Ham | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 42 | 62 | -20 | 36 |
| 19 | Burnley | 36 | 4 | 9 | 23 | 37 | 73 | -36 | 21 |
| 20 | Wolves | 36 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 25 | 66 | -41 | 18 |
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