The game began with Arsenal asserting dominance, nearly taking an early lead when Riccardo Calafiori won a corner in the ninth minute. Declan Rice, returning to his former home, delivered a perfect ball that found Trossard at the back post. The Belgian's initial header was saved by Mads Hermansen, and his follow-up effort agonisingly struck both the bar and the post. Calafiori himself came close shortly after with a powerful strike that whistled past the upright, while Konstantinos Mavropanos was forced to clear a header off the line to keep the Hammers level at the break.
As the second half progressed, the tension grew. West Ham, fighting for every point in their own battle against the drop, began to find their footing. The home side’s best chance fell to Mateus Fernandes, who found himself one-on-one with David Raya. However, the Arsenal goalkeeper produced a world-class save to keep the scoreline level, a moment that proved just as important as the goal that followed.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 83rd minute. Martin Odegaard, providing the creative spark off the bench, helped facilitate a move that ended with Trossard slotting the ball home to send the traveling supporters into raptures.
However, the drama was far from over. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, West Ham threw everything forward, including goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, for a corner. After a frantic scramble in the box, substitute Callum Wilson fired the ball into the net, appearing to rescue a point for the hosts. The London Stadium erupted, but the celebrations were short-lived.
Referee Chris Kavanagh was called to the pitchside monitor by VAR to review a potential foul on David Raya. Replays showed that West Ham substitute Pablo had impeded the goalkeeper as the corner came in. After a lengthy deliberation that silenced the stadium, the goal was chalked off.
Arsenal held on through the final whistle to claim a result that keeps them neck-and-neck with Manchester City at the top of the table. For West Ham, it was a afternoon of heartbreak as they remain deep in the relegation scrap despite a resilient performance. The Gunners now turn their attention to their next fixture against Burnley, while the fallout from the late VAR decision is sure to dominate the headlines.