Arsenal took a giant leap toward the Premier League title but not without getting some serious fortune in win over West Ham
06:00, 11 May 2026
Pablo of West Ham United fouls David Raya of Arsenal resulting in a late equalising goal for West Ham being disallowed by VAR
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Pablo of West Ham United fouls David Raya of Arsenal resulting in a late equalising goal for West Ham being disallowed by VAR(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
Quality, philosophy, reliance and mentality. All the things associated with sides that have won the Premier League title, but perhaps one element needed beyond all others is luck.
Arsenal had that at West Ham, and it might be what indeed turns them into the victors of this season. I’ve watched back the incident as many times as Chris Kavanagh took to make his decision, twice over, and while it will hardly be surprising to many reading this, I agree the right decision was reached.
So let’s get that out of the way before we dive into the ramifications of what was the biggest week of Arsenal’s last decade-plus. It is a foul, the arm comes across, and with Raya getting a significant grasp of the ball, is impeded and prevented from catching it.
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Yet, I know that if the shoe were on the other foot, I would find it far harder to say as much, even though, in the end, I would.
For me, had Arsenal not won this game, the blame would have landed squarely at the feet of Mikel Arteta. When Ben White went down injured, the decision not to make a straight swap for Cristhian Mosquera proved very costly.
The early dominance, which brought about the three big chances, was immediately lost as West Ham suddenly won control of the midfield. The injury to Riccardo Calafiori brought about a change in the second half, but I sincerely hope that a change would have been made regardless.
When asked after the match about how the switch to right-back for Rice did not go entirely as planned, Arteta thanked the almighty that in the end, it all worked out. But made greater reference to the call to add both Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard to the fold.
“There are two defensive actions that we suffered a little bit,” he said. “I don't think it's because of his position, but we had to.
“But as well with the game that I expected, bringing Mosquera on was going to lift something that we really believed was going to give us the fluidity and the chance to hurt them. But sometimes you have to make another change.
“The one on Zubi was tough, but I really felt that we had to put two attacking midfielders in that moment to generate all the kinds of issues and threats and thank God it worked out.”
Thank God indeed! Arsenal now restore their five-point lead over Manchester City and must beat an already relegated Burnley at the Emirates and a Crystal Palace side on the final day, who not only will have nothing to play for, but have a European final just days later with encouragement to instead rest players.
Whether a bonus for Eberechi Eze winning the league is there for them too, however, is not yet clear despite the circulating rumours.
It all comes back to luck. The luck that Chris Kavanagh agreed with the suggestion that the late goal should have been ruled out, despite so many similar incidents going unpunished throughout the season. The luck of Gabriel’s brilliant block deflecting the Fernandes shot wide, the fortune that Leandro Trossard’s goal found it’s way into the back of the net despite the bodies in front of it.
The fortune that Arteta’s structural mistake after Ben White’s substitute was not more harshly punished. However, the reality is Arsenal have dug in and, in some ways, made their own luck this season, and it might just be what wins them a deserved Premier League title.
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