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Football history is littered with fateful moments that convince you that a certain outcome is a foregone conclusion, and Arsenal’s seismic win over West Ham can be added to that long list.
The Gunners required a late goal and a controversial VAR review to fight past the relegation-threatened Hammers in a ridiculously dramatic end to the London derby.
If ever there was a game to convince Arsenal fans and neutrals alike that the club’s agonizing 22-year wait for a league title was coming to an end, this was it: a dysfunctional, ugly performance where injuries and tactical missteps allowed the ranked underdogs to go top before the Gunners were rescued by a player who hadn’t scored in 2 games. seven minutes left on the clock.
And if that wasn’t fateful enough, there was of course more incredible drama to come when Callum Wilson’s 95th-minute equalizer was controversially disallowed after an almost four-minute VAR review that must have felt like a lifetime to those in the away game at the London Stadium.
The win and the nature of it means that even the most pessimistic Arsenal supporter will now start to believe that this really is their year, with just two games left to play, both coming against teams currently in the bottom six.
Season-defining drama
The late theater in Sunday’s clash was season-defining for Arsenal; this could be their ‘Aguerooo’, their Robin van Persie volley, their Vincent Kompany screamer.
And it was truly fitting that the two moments that could well win the title for this particular side were so unaesthetic.
Mikel Arteta’s men have been derided all season for the nature of finding wins, maximizing set pieces and finding a way to win by any means necessary.
It was fitting, then, that it was a disallowed strike and a refereeing decision centered on almost universal competition from a corner that ensured they collected a seismic three points at West Ham’s expense.
Leandro Trossard had not scored in 26 games when he popped up to sweep home Martin Odegaard’s pass via a great deflection from Tomas Soucek with just seven minutes left on the clock to restore Arsenal’s five-point lead over Manchester City at the death.
But of course that moment of immense drama would be surpassed by a VAR review for the ages.
In the fifth minute of stoppage time the ball eventually fell to Wilson from a corner and he blasted home despite Declan Rice’s best effort behind the goal line.
But West Ham would be denied their own moment of euphoria, while Arsenal fans got another when VAR recommended a review and referee Chris Kavanagh chalked off the goal after an excruciating check on the pitch monitor.
Striker Pablo was adjudged to have molested goalkeeper David Raya by holding his arm as he tried to claim the initial cross.
Looking back on the 2025-26 title run, this could very well be the defining moment.
‘What a moment’
Arteta, understandably, could hardly believe what he had witnessed when he faced the media in his post-match press conference.
“What a moment, what an afternoon, what a week it’s been for us, so full of emotion,” he said.
“I can’t praise enough the attitude, the desire, the courage and the quality of the team that was shown throughout this week because there was so much at stake and today, against a team fighting for their lives against a club that has an incredible history, we knew how tough it was going to be.”
Arteta continued: “A call from the referees that I think is very brave, but very much in line with what they have been talking about all season. When I have to be critical, I have been and today at least I have to praise them for giving a referee the opportunity to decide, away from the light and the chaos, to give clarity to him to make the right call.
“Looking at the action like that, I think it’s a clear foul and it’s a free-kick and the goal should be disallowed, so congratulations because they made a big call in very, very difficult circumstances.
Man City’s misfortune
Long before kick-off on Sunday, there was already a sense that Arsenal had finally taken full control of the title race and the nature of the vital win will cement their status as favorites with just 180 minutes between them and a first Premier League crown in 22 painful years.
Man City have pushed them hard by hacking away at what was once a healthy lead at the top of the table to bring themselves within striking distance of their faltering rivals in time for the run-in, but unlike previous years, their resurgence may have just run out of steam at the worst possible time.
In truth, they are paying for a poor start to the campaign, having left themselves with too much to do.
Pep Guardiola’s men could have had the job done against Brentford on Saturday as they eventually ran out 3-0 winners thanks to half an hour of second-period blitz.
Last week’s crazy draw with Everton – another crazy encounter that could well go down in Arsenal folklore – looks increasingly damaging as they run out of games to close the gap.
It’s a result that had been on the cards for City, who had been outplayed in the previous narrow league and FA Cup wins over Burnley and Southampton respectively.
Arsenal’s chances are also boosted by their rivals’ schedule; The Cityzens face four games in 11 days after reaching the cup final – including an awkward trip to European hopefuls Bournemouth and hosting Champions League chasers Aston Villa on the final day.
Two games left
Arsenal’s season, meanwhile, boils down to three more games: Burnley at the Emirates, Crystal Palace away on the final day and the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.
They could hardly ask for a more favorable run domestically to get over the line and the motivation is huge; The Clarets are of course already relegated and could be forgiven for looking to the future.
While the normally intimidating nature of a trip to Selhurst Park is lessened by the fact the Eagles will surely rotate ahead of their own European final three days later in the Conference League.
Arsenal’s biggest challenge will therefore be to overcome the inevitable nerves to get the job done in two winnable league games.
They could even afford to draw a game, depending on goal difference and City’s results, although that doesn’t bear thinking about.
There is also something to be said for the kind of momentum a win like the West Ham win can bring; The Gunners can ride that energy to the finish line.
With league matters out of the way, the north Londoners can look forward to a huge showdown with PSG in Budapest, where they can play without the mental shackles of the grueling title race.
‘The only important thing’
Arteta clearly recognizes that the shift in energy will be hugely important for the rest of the campaign. It’s probably not how he planned it, but it’s certainly something he’ll use as the club faces arguably the most momentous weeks in its history.
“It has been a phenomenal week in every sense,” continued the Spanish tactician.
“What the team has done, the way we’ve played, the way we’ve approached games. So what our supporters have done for us this season, all week and today too. It’s phenomenal, I think it changes the energy of the team and we’ve got to live in the moment now and just think about Burnley because that’s the only thing that matters.
“There are only two games left after that and we created some big chances and we didn’t score and the team had to stay cool. And I knew they would also have moments because they don’t need too much to create problems around your box with the players they have and the set-up they have. So yes, we navigated through it and I think it was a successful game.”
Written in the stars
The fateful nature of Sunday’s dramatic win over West Ham, then, has set Arteta and this group of Arsenal players firmly on course for immortality.
They have never been closer to ending the club’s long wait for a league crown and finally shedding the label of ‘bottle jobs’ that have plagued them in the modern era, but with just two league games to go against favorable opposition, the odds are stacked in the Gunners’ favour.
After going through the ultimate test of their abilities, Arsenal for sure get your hands on the famous trophy. Now it’s all about holding their nerve and riding the wave of momentum from what could very well be the decisive match for their title quest, and moments that will be replayed over and over for years to come.
