In this West Ham vs Arsenal match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
There are matches that are not brilliant, but are decisive. And this was exactly that for Arsenal. A strong start, exactly as expected. Arsenal immediately took control, pushed West Ham back and settled into the attacking half. A back five from West Ham and still Arsenal found spaces.
Right at the beginning, Trossard showed his quality. A perfect through ball, Calafiori appeared free and shot, but the ball struck a defender. From the resulting corner, almost a goal. Trossard, at the far post, headed it without even jumping, it was saved, rebounded and he tried again, but between the post and the defence, the goal never came. It was a suffocating start.
West Ham barely got out. Whenever they did, it was always on the counter, always relying on an error or an individual moment. And interestingly, that moment arrived. Diouf attacked the inside channel and came close to creating real danger. Then Summerville, with space, drove forward and shot, giving Arsenal a warning. But until then, the game clearly belonged to Arsenal.
Then came the moment that changed the dynamic. Ben White’s injury forced changes. Rice dropped to right-back, Zubimendi came on and Arsenal lost something essential: control in midfield. From there, the game became more balanced.
Arsenal still had more possession, but created less. There was a lack of connection, a lack of fluency, and West Ham grew into the match. Not in dominance, but in belief. They started getting forward more often, feeling they could do something.
In the second half, Arsenal tried to correct things. They adjusted positions, moved Rice back into midfield and looked to regain control. And they did, to a certain extent. They had the ball, circulated it well, but still lacked that decisive moment.
Time kept passing and the pressure increased. Because the result was not enough, and every minute that passed gave West Ham more life. In the 77th minute, the game almost changed completely. Mateus Fernandes appeared inside the area, very close to goal, shot and Raya produced a huge save. Pure reflexes. A goalkeeper’s save for a big team in a big moment.
And sometimes, that is what defines everything, because just a few minutes later, Arsenal found the goal.
In the 82nd minute, a well-worked move, patience, circulation. Ødegaard received inside the area, waited, attracted defenders and at the perfect moment released it for Trossard. A quick shot, with a slight deflection off Souček, but not enough to alter the direction. The ball went in. 0–1. An explosion of relief. It was not a genius goal, it was a goal born from persistence. From a team that refused to give up.
West Ham felt the blow. They still tried, still fought, but now more with heart than with clarity. Then came the final moment, and the controversy. In the 95th minute, complete chaos in the area, the ball fell to Callum Wilson who smashed it into the back of the net. The stadium exploded, but VAR intervened. A long, tense review and the goal was disallowed for a foul on Raya in the build-up.
A very debatable decision. In a chaotic situation like that, the kind that happens all the time, this time they decided to rule it out. I do not agree.
Until the end, Arsenal held on. They suffered, but they held on.
Post-match
A champion’s win? Maybe. It was not beautiful, but it was mature. And at this stage, that is what matters.
