West Ham’s injury-time equaliser against Arsenal was ruled out on Sunday after VAR determined David Raya had been fouled in the buildup, leaving Mikel Arteta’s side needing two more wins to be sure of their first Premier League title in 22 years. Arsenal now have to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace to settle the championship for themselves.
The decisive moment came when Jean-Clair Todibo pulled Raya’s shirt and Pablo’s arm stretched across the Arsenal goalkeeper’s neck inside the box, with Chris Kavanagh the referee and Darren England on VAR. The decision preserved Arsenal’s lead and kept them on course for a finish that could end their long wait for the title in the 2025-26 season.
West Ham, meanwhile, were left a point behind Tottenham in the relegation battle, with Spurs due to play at home to Leeds on Monday evening. That table tension sat alongside the title race, and the outcome on Sunday mattered at both ends of the league.
The call also fed a wider argument that has followed Arsenal through the season. Jonathan Wilson said the shirt pull by Todibo made the disallowed goal the right decision, and added that Arsenal now need only to beat Burnley and Crystal Palace to be sure of their first Premier League title in 22 years. He also said the way Declan Rice wrestled Konstantinos Mavropanos could not be allowed, a reminder that set-piece holding and obstruction remain a live dispute in the game.
Arsenal have already benefited from tight calls earlier in the campaign, including goals against Manchester United on the opening weekend and against Aston Villa at the end of December, so Sunday’s ruling will not settle the argument over consistency. What it does settle is the state of the table: Arsenal control their own fate, West Ham are fighting to climb away from danger, and the next two league matches will decide whether the season ends with a long-awaited title in north London or another week of waiting.
Wilson also argued that if soccer is going to keep VAR, the system has to accept that some decisions will take several minutes, even though it has been intrusive, slow and damaging to the match-going experience. That is the contradiction at the heart of the current 2025-26 season: technology has been brought in to remove doubt, but the biggest decisions still arrive wrapped in delay, argument and frustration.
For Arsenal, the path is simple now. Beat Burnley and Crystal Palace, and the club will be champions at last.
