It was the most extraordinary finale to an occasion when the tension seemed to override everything. The spectacle was suffocated. There was almost too much at stake for both teams. And then there we were, the players from each team standing on the sideline behind the referee, Chris Kavanagh, as he pored over the replay monitor on the advice of the video assistant, Darren England, his heart hammering, like that of everybody else inside the stadium.
Arsenal led 1-0 through Leandro Trossard’s 83rd minute goal, which had come shortly after David Raya had produced a massive one-on-one save to deny the West Ham midfielder, Mateus Fernandes. Now West Ham had their lifeline. Or had they? It all came down to Kavanagh’s interpretation of the moment when West Ham sent their goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen, forward for an all-or-nothing 95th minute corner and, after a melee of bodies, the West Ham substitute, Callum Wilson, had lashed a shot over the line.
The problem for West Ham was that another substitute, Pablo, had gone up for the corner with an arm stretched out across Raya, who cried foul. Loudly. So did everyone connected to Arsenal, either here or watching from further afield. Kavanagh took an age over the decision and as he deliberated, it was no exaggeration to feel that the Premier League title was at stake. Perhaps, the final relegation place, too.
Manchester City had dialled up the pressure on Arsenal with their 3-0 win over Brentford on Saturday. They watched, as well. Where would Kavanagh land? Eventually, he drew the outline of a TV in the air and announced, via, his microphone that Pablo had fouled Raya. He was immediately drowned out by West Ham’s furious fans, who are now starring into the abyss. They had needed something from their team to give them hope in the battle against Tottenham to stay up. Instead, they felt the lowest of blows.
Arsenal, by contrast, departed with the feeling that their name could be on the trophy. It was not pretty, the anxiety back with a vengeance. West Ham have been in good form since the middle of January and they set up with three central defenders and a desire to make things hard for Arsenal, which they did. Arsenal found a way. They rode their luck. They are now even closer.
Full report to follow.