Late Drama: VAR Denies West Ham Equalizer as Arsenal Claim Vital Win

London – Arsenal's narrow 1-0 victory over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday (10/5/2026) WIB evening was marked by major drama in the closing minutes. A VAR decision disallowing the home side's equalizing goal became the turning point that ensured The Gunners remained firmly at the top of the table.

This 36th week match was actually tough for Arsenal. Their winning goal only came in the 83rd minute through Leandro Trossard, after capitalizing on a precise pass from Martin Odegaard. However, the main spotlight fell on what happened during Injury time.

Callum Wilson Goal Controversy
As the match entered added time, the London Stadium crowd briefly erupted when Callum Wilson managed to slot the ball past David Raya from a corner situation. The goal appeared valid and would have forced a Draw for both teams.

However, drama began when Arsenal players protested. They argued that Goalkeeper David Raya had been fouled by a West Ham player before the goal occurred. Referee Chris Kavanagh then halted the match to review the footage via the VAR monitor pitchside.

The review showed a foul committed by a West Ham player against Raya. The referee ultimately decided to:

• Disallow Callum Wilson's goal.
• Award a free kick to Arsenal.

This decision meant West Ham failed to salvage a point and remained stuck in the relegation zone with 36 points.

The Gunners' Hard-Fought Win
Arsenal did not achieve this win easily. From the first half, the squad coached by Mikel Arteta faced various obstacles:

• Player Injury: Ben White had to be withdrawn in the 28th minute, forcing Declan Rice to play as an emergency right-back which temporarily unbalanced the midfield.
• David Raya's Resilience: Before Trossard's goal, Raya made a series of brilliant saves, including tipping over a header from Taty Castellanos and thwarting a one-on-one situation against Mateus Fernandes in the 78th minute.

League Standings
This victory, aided by VAR, is vital for their title chase:

Arsenal: 79 points (36 games).
Manchester City: 74 points (35 games).

With this result, Arsenal leads City by five points, although their rival still has one game in hand.

Lineups:

West Ham United (3-4-2-1): Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Disasi, Diouf; Bowen, Fernandes, Soucek; Summerville, Taty Castellanos.

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): David Raya; White (Zubimendi 28’), Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori (Mosquera 46’); Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Eze (Odegaard 67’), Trossard; Gyokeres.