Arsenal defeated West Ham United 1-0 at the London Stadium on Sunday, May 16, 2023. The match was decided by a goal from Leandro Trossard in the 82nd or 83rd minute, and a stoppage-time goal by West Ham's Callum Wilson was disallowed after a video assistant referee (VAR) review. The result keeps Arsenal in contention for the Premier League title, while West Ham remains in the relegation zone.
Match Timeline and Key Events
First Half
- Arsenal began the match with high pressure, recording seven shots in the opening 15 minutes, the third-highest total in a Premier League game this season.
- Arsenal midfielder Ben White was substituted in the 27th minute due to a knee injury, forcing a tactical reshuffle. Declan Rice moved to right-back to cover the position.
- The first half ended with no goals.
Second Half
- At halftime, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a tactical change, moving Declan Rice back to central midfield and substituting Cristhian Mosquera (or Riccardo Calafiori, depending on the source) into the match.
- Arsenal had 78% possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
- Leandro Trossard scored the match's only goal in the 82nd or 83rd minute. According to one source, this was his first goal in 26 appearances across all competitions.
Stoppage Time
- In the 94th or 95th minute, West Ham's Callum Wilson scored from a corner kick, appearing to equalize for the home side.
- Referee Chris Kavanagh initially allowed play to continue but conducted a VAR review.
- After reviewing the incident at the pitchside monitor, Kavanagh overturned the goal, ruling that West Ham's Pablo had fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya by placing his arm across Raya's face, affecting his ability to catch the ball.
Reactions to the VAR Decision
Arsenal
"It was the right call."
— Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, stating that the contact affected Raya's ability to catch the ball.
West Ham
"There is a referee, there is VAR, there are circumstances in the past that have been judged different."
— Nuno Espirito Santo, West Ham manager
- West Ham midfielder Tomáš Souček expressed disappointment, saying VAR should only correct "big errors."
- West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said: "When you're looking at a screen for five minutes, you're going to find something... Do I think it's the right decision? No." He also noted that contact is expected on corner kicks.
- West Ham officials and players criticized the consistency of officiating, noting that similar holding incidents (including one involving Tomáš Souček in a previous match) had not been penalized. Nuno Espírito Santo specifically criticized the lack of consistency regarding holding and grappling.
Match Statistics and Facts
- This was Arsenal's seventh 1-0 win in the Premier League this season, the most frequent scoreline for any team.
- West Ham lost back-to-back league games for the first time since early 2026, ending a six-match unbeaten home run.
- Arsenal has the longest ongoing winning streak in the Premier League (three matches).
- According to the Opta supercomputer, Arsenal's probability of winning the title rose from 78.1% to 87.2% following the win over West Ham.
Implications
Premier League Title Race
- Arsenal leads the Premier League by five points over Manchester City, who had beaten Brentford 3-0 on Saturday.
- Arsenal needs two wins from its remaining two matches to secure the title, which would be its first since the 2003-04 season.
Arsenal's Remaining Matches
- Home against Burnley on May 22
- Away at Crystal Palace on May 28
Relegation Battle
- West Ham remains in the relegation zone, one point from safety with two games remaining.
- West Ham's survival is dependent on other results, including a match between Tottenham (currently in fourth-to-last place) and Leeds.