Arsenal moved to the brink of a first Premier League title in 22 years after West Ham had a last-gasp equaliser ruled out by VAR in a dramatic finale at the London Stadium that left the hosts starting down the barrel of relegation.
The Gunners had been frustrated for long spells as West Ham scrapped for survival, and Mikel Arteta’s side were saved by a crucial stop from goalkeeper David Raya as he made an inspired block from Mateus Fernandes.
Moments later, Leandro Trossard ended his long scoring drought with the goal that looked to fire Arsenal to the title, but there was more drama to come after Callum Wilson scrambled an equaliser deep in stoppage time.
But in the melee, VAR spotted an infringement involving goalkeeper Raya and West Ham substitute Pablo. In a thicket of bodies in the six-yard box, Raya appeared to be grasped by the Brazilian as he attempted to claim the initial delivery into the box.
After a long deliberation of the available angles, VAR Darren England instructed referee Kavanagh to review the footage on the pitchside monitor. And following a discussion between the officials, Kavanagh chalked the goal off.
Arsenal now just need to beat relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace to win the Premier League, while West Ham are in need of a great escape with two games remaining. Tottenham can move four points clear if they beat Leeds, who are now safe, tomorrow.
Pundits agree on Raya foul
“The one thing you say when you go up, VAR are going to check everything, do not put your hands on the goalkeeper! Certainly don’t leave it on for three or four seconds,” says Keane on Sky.
“There is all sorts going on but because the goalkeeper had such a big part to play, I think it is a foul,” he added.
Ian Wright agreed, saying: “It is a poor foul. I think David Raya catches that simply if he is not impeded, he catches that.
“Without a doubt [one of the biggest decisions ever].
“I’m not a fan of VAR, but in this instance, it did the job.For me it was an easy one to give in such a tense moment. Everything flashed before my eyes!”
‘It is a foul, that is the bottom line’
These are the words of former Premier League assistant ref Darren Cann, who was speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live regarding the VAR decision:
“It is a foul by Pablo holding Raya’s arm and clearly impeding Raya. Also he is having his shirt pulled by Todibo as well.
“Unfortunately I know it is a shame for West Ham given the timing of the game, but it is a foul, that is the bottom line.
“The arm is across Raya from Pablo, but crucially he is holding Raya’s arm. He’s not going to punch the ball, he is trying to catch it. The fact he has an arm on the keeper means he can’t catch it and he is clearly impeded.”
‘We are all upset’
“Due to the circumstances and the way it finished, we are all upset,” said Nuno Espirito Santo on Sky.
“Look, there is a referee and VAR, there is circumstances in the past that have been judged different. Let’s not go further than that.
“Due to the recent seasons, it has been happening [similar incidents]. Even the referees don’t know what is a foul and what is not a foul, It creates doubt.
“Let’s look at the game overall. We made a very good match. Arsenal is a tough team. We lost the game,” he added.
Keane: ‘Relief’ for Arsenal
“There will be a lot of relief for Arsenal, of course, because of the pressure on the game,” says Roy Keane on Sky.
“The way they finished the game, in that moment, they are probably thinking they have lost the title.
“So, they will be on that emotional roller-coaster and but the fact is they got the job done.
“The incident at the end where you need a little bit of luck, they had that but they kept a clean sheet.
“The game itself, the technical stuff wasn’t great, but if you are going to win a league title there are going to be parts of the season and parts of games where it is just about surviving and getting through.
“They have shown that lots of times this season,” added the former Manchester United captain.
“When I had to be critical, I have been. Today I have to congratulate them [referees]. You need a lot of courage and bravery to stand out and give the opportunity to the referee to have a look at the action,” continued Arteta on Sky.
“When you see the picture, there is no question that it is a clear foul. They were very brave.
“The action deserved that. In my opinion, it is very clear. They are the rules and we ask for consistency.
On the title race, he adds: “There are still two games to play. We came to win the game today; somehow, you have to get rewarded.
“You have to have the ability to win in all types of contexts. We have shown that. The only thing that matters is now, the present. Today, we have done it. There are two more to go.”
“I am going to certainly remember this day. It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” said Mikel Arteta on Sky after full-time.
“We knew it was going to be tough day; they are fighting for their lives and we are trying to win the Premier League. So much at stake. We started the game so well and had three big chances.
“Then the injury of Ben [White], we had to make a change and adapt, we had to make difficult decisions. We threw everything we had to try and win it.
“We were rewarded for that courage. Then there are two actions, one with David [Raya].
“He makes an incredible save and then the controversy around the disallowed goal, which is obviously a big decision,” added the Spaniard.
‘It was pure joy’
“It was pure joy because we knew what we had to do today,” continued Trossard.
“We created some chances in the first half but it was tough because we know what they are fighting for as well.
“It’s a tough ground to come to so the goal got us in front, but we knew we had to keep the clean sheet.
“It was a great time to score and we got the win. Two games to go and hopefully something nice is waiting for us.”
Trossard: ‘One of the toughest games’
“That was one of the toughest games in general,” says match-winner Leandro Trossard on Sky at full-time.
“When we scored there was a lot of joy, but then we had to dig in at the end and not concede. Then with the goal, I was just happy we won.
On the disallowed goal, he added: “[David] Raya said straight away it can’t be a goal.
“At that moment, I had a lot of faith. I believed because he was pretty convincing, but you never know.
“You are thinking it is not going our way, but luckily it was a foul and we won the game.
“It was relief as there wasn’t long to go, but we still had to dig in for a couple of minutes. We are just really happy with this win,” he added.
How the bottom of the table looks
That result leaves West Ham one point behind Tottenham, with the Hammers in 18th ahead of Spurs playing their game in hand against Leeds tomorrow.
West Ham have a goal difference of -20, while Tottenham’s is -9 ahead of tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the result today means Nottingham Forest and Leeds are both guaranteed to stay up this season!
Here’s how the bottom of the table looks:
17 – Tottenham – 37pts, GD -9
18 – West Ham – 36pts, GD -20
