In the dramatic final moments of Arsenal’s clash with West Ham, Belgian winger Leandro Trossard revealed the crucial exchange he had with Spanish goalkeeper David Raya just before the Hammers’ goal was ruled out.
Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the London Stadium in the 36th round of the Premier League, with Trossard scoring the only goal in the 83rd minute.
But the real drama unfolded in stoppage time, specifically the 90+5th minute, when Callum Wilson appeared to equalize for West Ham from a corner. However, the referee disallowed the goal after a VAR review, citing a foul on Raya.
Trossard, speaking to Sky Sports after the match, said: “It was pure joy because we knew exactly what we had to do today. We created chances in the first half, but it was tough because we knew what they were fighting for as well. It’s a difficult stadium, so the goal gave us the lead, but we knew we had to keep a clean sheet.”
Regarding the disallowed goal, Trossard added: “Raya immediately said it couldn’t be a goal. At that moment, I had a lot of faith in him. I trusted him because he was so convincing, but you never know. You think things might not go our way, but fortunately it was a foul and we won the match. We felt relieved because there wasn’t much time left, but we had to give everything for a few minutes. We are very happy with this win.”
Following this gritty victory, Arsenal moved to 79 points at the top of the Premier League table, five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who have a postponed match against Crystal Palace on Wednesday. The Gunners have only two games left: against already-relegated Burnley and Crystal Palace, while City face Bournemouth and Aston Villa in their final two fixtures.
On the other side, this loss pushes West Ham closer to relegation, as they remain on 36 points in 18th place. If Tottenham, who sit 17th, beat Leeds on Monday, the gap between the two sides could widen to four points.
