Arteta 'congratulates' refs for 'brave' decision to rule out West Ham equaliser

West Ham United v Arsenal - Premier League

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised the match officials for their "brave" decision to disallow a late West Ham equaliser in a tense 1-0 victory for his team on Sunday. The Spaniard insisted that the VAR intervention to award a foul on David Raya was the correct call, one that provided necessary clarity amidst the chaotic final moments at the London Stadium.

Arteta applauds referees for strategic clarity

The Gunners appeared to have secured a vital three points thanks to a late strike from Leandro Trossard, but their title hopes were momentarily rocked when Callum Wilson bundled the ball home in the 96th minute. However, following a lengthy review, referee Chris Kavanagh overturned the goal after VAR spotted a foul on goalkeeper Raya.

"It was a call from the ref that is very brave, but very consistent with what they've been talking about all season," Arteta stated.

"When I have to be critical, I have been. And today I have to praise them, at least for giving the option to a referee to decide, away from the lights and the chaos, to give clarity to him to make the right call."

West Ham United v Arsenal - Premier League

An 'obvious error' corrected in stoppage time

While the Hammers were left fuming after Kavanagh viewed 17 different replays on the pitch-side monitor, Arteta remained adamant that the footage showed a clear infringement.

For the Arsenal boss, the process worked exactly as intended to prevent a historical injustice in the title race.

"And when you look at the action in that way, it is an obvious error," Arteta explained. "It is a free-kick, and the goal has to be disallowed. So congratulations, because they made a big call in very, very difficult circumstances. Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee's job is. Because you're talking about a moment that can decide the history, and the course, of two massive clubs."

Trossard ends drought as Raya stands tall

The controversy overshadowed a gritty performance from Arsenal, spearheaded by Trossard. The Belgian attacker ended a 26-game goal drought at the most opportune moment, firing home the winner with just seven minutes of regulation time remaining.

At the other end, Raya earned his high rating with a series of world-class saves that kept Arsenal in the game. Before the disallowed goal drama, Raya had denied Mateus Fernandes with a crucial one-on-one save at 0-0.

Arteta hailed his goalkeeper's contribution, citing it alongside the VAR call as the two defining moments that kept Arsenal’s title destiny in their own hands, "If you want the chance to major trophies, you need moments and actions and the individuals creating those magic moments and David certainly – like Martin Odegaard – created a moment to win us the game."

West Ham United v Arsenal - Premier League

Navigating chaos and injuries

The victory was not without its costs, as Arsenal had to navigate a chaotic second half following injuries to Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori.

Arteta admitted his team lost momentum following a tactical reshuffle that saw Martin Zubimendi introduced while moving Declan Rice to right-back-a change that struggled to click before Cristhian Mosquera stabilized the defence after half-time.

"I think we started the game so well," Arteta said. "We created three big chances but didn’t manage to score the goal, then Ben White’s injury comes in and we have to adjust that.

"It doesn’t really work out and half-time we have to change Calafiori as well, another change, so it’s not ideal. But I think we showed a lot of courage with the changes and the persons that bring."