3 weeks ago
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Two 1-0 wins in six days have left Arsenal within touching distance of unprecedented glory. The West Ham players surround the referee Chris Kavanagh, still fuming about Callum Wilson’s equaliser that wasn’t.
Full time: West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
After all that, it ends one-nil to the Arsenal.
90+10 min There’s also an argument that Todibo was pulling Raya’s shirt. Never mind that because the match has resumed and nobody has a clue how long is left.
NO GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
The goal has been disallowed for a foul by Pablo on David Raya! The biggest VAR decision in English football history has gone Arsenal’s way.
90+9 min Chris Kavanagh is still looking at the replay. I think it’s a foul, in truth, but whether it’s a clear and obvious error… no idea.
On-field review!
90+8 min VAR, bloody hell. Chris Kavanagh is going to look at the evidence, and that usually means the decision will be overturned.
90+7 min Darren England is the poor bugger tasked with making the decision.
90+6 min: The VAR check is ongoing. You can argue it either way. Pablo had his arm across Raya, and Gary Neville on Sky Sports think it was a foul.
The corner was spilled by Raya, under potentially illegal pressure from Pablo, and bounced off Saliba at the far post. Wilson blasted the loose ball savagely into the net from 10 yards.
GOAL? West Ham 1-1 Arsenal (Wilson 90+5)
Arsenal think David Raya was fouled but for now West Ham have equalised!
90+4 min: Just wide from Wilson!
Oh my word. A long cross was headed down by Mavropanos to Wilson, who controlled it on the chest and dragged a shot that… wait, hang on!
90+3 min Bowen’s cross is excellently cut out at source by Lewis-Skelly. If any team knows how to protect a 1-0 lead, it’s this lot.
90+2 min Raya’s save from Fernandes gets better every time you see it. It would have been so easy, especially at such a vital moment, to fall for it when Fernandes shaped to shoot across goal.
90+1 min Trossard is booked for delaying a West Ham free-kick. The hell he’ll care!
90 min There will be six minutes of added time.
90 min Mavropanos allows Arsenal to waste 30 seconds with a needless foul on Gyokeres. West Ham’s heads have gone.
89 min Saliba is booked for fouling somebody on the halfway line. West Ham are running out of time to equalise.
88 min A member of the West Ham coaching staff has been sent off by Chris Kavanagh, presumably for inappropriate use of the mouth.
86 min There’s a bit of a row between Madueke and Pablo, who wasn’t happy when Madueke deliberately kicked the ball at a West Ham player with a view to it ricocheting out for an Arsenal throw-in. Not sure why – don’t players do that all the time?
Moments later, Todibo, who has form for loss of noggin, growls in the direction of Gyokeres.
85 min: West Ham substitution Axel Disasi is replaced by Callum Wilson.
Myles Lewis-Skelly ushers the ball out for a goalkick and roars with delight.
Arsenal could so easily have gone a goal down. Now, three minutes later, they’re in front! Odegaard, so good in tight spaces, combined neatly with Rice on the edge of the area and pushed the ball back to Trossard. His first-time shot from 15 yards took a deflection off the lunging Soucek and zipped past Hermansen at the near post.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Arsenal (Trossard 83)
Leandro Trossard has scored the biggest goal of his life!
81 min Replays confirm that, whether Fernandes should have scored or not, it was a sesnsational save by Raya. Fernandes tried to give him the eyes and sweep the ball past him at the near post; Raya threw out his right leg and saved it with his thigh.
80 min: Arsenal substitution Mosquera is booked for a foul. Noni Madueke comes on for Bukayo Saka.
78 min: Huge save by Raya!
Fernandes collects a loose ball on the edge of the area, plays a slick one-two with Pablo and runs through on goal. And time. Stands. Still before Fernandes sweeps a shot from five yards that is smothered heroically by Raya.
Fernandes should probably have scored – he was almost moving too fast and got too close to Raya before he took the shot.
77 min Saka, who has had a very quiet game so far, is booked for a foul on Summerville.
76 min “This is just torture for Arsenal fans – the equivalent of the medieval rack,” says Charles Antaki. Every minute is another ratchet up, and even the substitutions put a bit more strain on the system. Something may crack, but not in a happy way.”
I say!
75 min Bowen gets to the byline and spanks a rising cross/shot – not sure which – that is pushed over the crossbar by Raya. After a spell of Arsenal dominance, West Ham are starting to carry a threat on the break.
74 min In case you’ve been at a digital retreat in the Kerguelen Islands for the last fortnight, Arsenal need to win to keep the title exclusively in their hands. A draw means both teams can control their own destiny by winning their remaining games 15-0. And a defeat would put the title back in City’s hands alone.
The relegation picture is more complicated, so don’t start.
73 min Saka’s flat cross is headed over at the far post by Gyokeres. A tough chance, 10 yards out and under pressure from Todibo, but a chance of sorts.
71 min Bowen does superbly to hold onto the ball, wait for support and then release Diouf on the left. He curls an excellent cross towards Pablo, forcing Rice to get in front and concede a corner. Superb defending from Rice.
69 min: Off the line by Mavropanos!
Rice’s free-kick hits the unsighted Mavropanos and bounces out in front of goal. Arsenal shriek for handball against Pablo, who was on the floor and couldn’t get out of the way. While that was going on, Gabriel forced a shot from six yards that was cleared off the line by Mavropanos.
Gabriel’s shot might have been hitting the post anyway, I’m not sure. There’s a VAR check for handball but Pablo eventually gets the all clear.
68 min Todibo shoves Gyokeres over from behind and is booked. The free-kick is about 30 yards from goal on the left wing, so the big men are coming forward.
68 min These are the revised line-ups.
West Ham (5-2-2-1) Hermansen; Wan-Bissaka, Disasi, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouf; Soucek, Fernandes; Bowen, Summerville; Pablo.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; Mosquera, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
68 min: Double substitution for Arsenal Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz come on for Eberechi Eze and the first-half substitute Martin Zubimendi.
67 min This video is dedicated to fans of West Ham, Arsenal, Spurs, Manchester City, the England cricket team…
66 min: West Ham substitution Pablo replaces Taty Castellanos, who impressed once again for West Ham.
65 min Fernandes fires a sharp pass into Bowen, who hits a speculative right-foot shot from 20 yards that is blocked by Saliba (I think).
