Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory against West Ham, inching closer to the Premier League title. A late disallowed goal by Callum Wilson was overturned by VAR due to fouls on Arsenal's goalkeeper David Raya.
Key points
Arsenal won 1-0 against West Ham
Callum Wilson's late goal was disallowed by VAR
Ben White suffered a serious injury
David Raya made a key save to maintain the score
Arsenal is two wins away from the Premier League title
ArsenalWest Ham United
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Pablo of West Ham United fouls David Raya of Arsenal before Callum Wilson (not pictured) scores a goal that is later disallowed following VAR review during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal at London Stadium on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Pablo of West Ham United fouls David Raya of Arsenal before Callum Wilson (not pictured) scores a goal that is later disallowed following VAR review during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Arsenal at London Stadium on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It wasnât going to happen. Then it was. And then it wasnât. And then VAR, glorious VAR. Iâve never said a bad thing about VAR, after all. Arsenal tried to give us all a heart attack, but it still goes down as 1-0 to the Gunners. Tow more wins. Thatâs all that is standing between the club and a Premier League title.
I hardly know where to begin breaking down todayâs match. After a scrappy opening 5 minutes, Arsenal settled into the match nicely. The ball was zipping around and the attack was creating chances. Riccardo Calafiori was causing all sorts of problems in open play and West Ham were at sixes and sevens defending corners. Arsenal had at least three âhowâd they not score thereâ goalmouth scrambles.
The injury to Ben White and Mikel Artetaâs substitution in response, changed the balance of the match entirely. Moving to RB was a really poor decision. Without Rice in the middle of the park, West Ham were able to win second balls, step up their physicality, and muddy up the match. I found myself hoping for the halftime whistle so that Arteta and the squad could regroup, sort things out, and come out with a new plan.
What a cruel turn of fate for Ben White. Off the back of his best performance for the club in two-plus seasons, he suffers what looks like serious injury in the very next game. Mikel Arteta said âit doesnât look goodâ in his press conference. The manager also confirmed an issue for Riccardo Calafiori (shocker).
Mikel Arteta took Riccardo Calafiori off at halftime to put at right back, moved to left back, and put Declan Rice back in midfield. That made things better, but the Arsenal attack was left fairly toothless. Without Ben White behind him, struggled to get involved in the game. putting in a(nother) stinker didnât help things, either. Iâm not sure whether the Spanish midfielder is exhausted, carrying an injury, or something else, but heâs really struggled down the stretch.
If weâre going to rightly criticize Mikel Arteta for his changes in response to the injury, itâs only fair to praise him for making the bold call to yank Martin Zubimendi midway through the second half. Itâs tough to pull a substitute, but Zubi didnât have it and taking him off was the right move.
Martin Ădegaard and made an immediate impact, controlling the ball, pushing Arsenal up the pitch, and sparking the attack around the West Ham box. Ădegaard created what could become one of the biggest goals in club history. He darted into the box and found in a pocket of space for the Belgian to rip a shot into the low corner.
Arsenal wouldnât have been in that position if it hadnât been for David Rayaâs heroics minutes earlier to keep the score at 0-0. On somewhat of a broken play, corralled a bouncing ball through the middle, laid it off to Pablo, who put Fernandes in on goal at close range. Raya was quick off his line to make a magnificent reaction kick save on the gilt-edged chance. A save that should go down in Arsenal history just as much as Trossardâs goal should the Gunners go on to win the title.
There are no words to properly describe the shock and despair we all felt at seeing Callum Wilsonâs rebound shot cross the line in the 95th minute. To have come so close to a gutsy away win against a desperate side with the Premier League title hanging in the balance.
But VAR was our saving grace. Before going any further â there is nothing controversial about the decision. The âcontroversyâ is entirely driven by the emotion of the moment and the desperate desire for narrative. There were two clear fouls committed against David Raya. Pablo has an arm across his upper body to grab Rayaâs left arm, preventing the keeper from what would have been a relatively simple claim of the ball. Ultimately, I think thatâs why the goal was correctly disallowed. But for good measure, has a handful of Rayaâs jersey from behind, so much so that the pull is unmistakable from the way the fabric is moving. Raya did an excellent job of trying to fight through the fouls. I think his attempt to get to the ball rather than flail his arms theatrically and go to ground helped him.
The controversy would have been if VAR *had not* ruled the goal out. Had that same sequence happened at any moment in any match that wasnât the last gasp of a team battling to stay up against a team fighting for the title, nobody would give it a second thought. The neutral pundits, even those with every reason in the world to dislike Arsenal, thought it was a foul.
Iâve gotta hand it to the PGMOL and VAR. This was arguably the biggest decision in the history of the use of the tech in England and they got it right.
Remember: to overturn a goal given on the field, you need a clear and obvious error. Weâre not talking about a case at the margins here. This wasnât a decision that could go either way. By VAR protocol, it canât be. Whatever you may think about the jostling, clutching, and grabbing on corners â and there is plenty of it between outfield players in the Premier League this season that has been let go, including on this particular corner â the PL consistently protects the goalkeeper. You canât grab the goalkeeper, particularly not in a way that prevents him from raising his arms to claim the ball. There is absolutely nothing inconsistent or controversial about making that call, with or without the aid of VAR.
It doesnât really matter. The would-be West Ham equalizer didnât count. Arsenal won. Weâre two wins away.
Q&A
What was the final score of the Arsenal vs West Ham match on May 10, 2026?
The final score was Arsenal 1, West Ham 0.
Why was Callum Wilson's goal disallowed in the West Ham vs Arsenal match?
Callum Wilson's goal was disallowed due to two fouls on Arsenal's goalkeeper David Raya during the play.
What injury did Ben White suffer during the Arsenal vs West Ham match?
Ben White suffered a serious injury during the match, which Mikel Arteta indicated does not look good.
How did David Raya contribute to Arsenal's victory against West Ham?
David Raya made a crucial kick save to keep the score at 0-0 before Arsenal scored the winning goal.
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