Arsenal stayed in control of the Premier League title race by beating relegation-threatened West Ham 1-0 thanks to an 83rd-minute goal by Leandro Trossard and a dramatic late VAR call on Sunday.
By restoring its five-point lead over second-place Manchester City, Arsenal knows it will clinch its first league title since 2004 by winning its final two games — at home to Burnley and away to Crystal Palace.
It was looking like Arsenal would drop two points
— just like City did at Everton on Monday — before Martin Odegaard dribbled into West Ham’s area and laid the ball off to Trossard. The Belgium international’s first-time shot took a couple of slight deflections and found the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations among Arsenal’s players and coaching staff.
There was more drama when Callum Wilson thought he'd equalized for West Ham following a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. After a long delay and a VAR check, the decision to award a goal was overturned for a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.
This was the toughest of Arsenal’s remaining games and the leaders came through it, helped by a crucial save by Raya at 0-0 off West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes' shot.
Arsenal has been runner-up in the league for the past three seasons but the trophy is in sight now and the Gunners could hardly have a better finish to the campaign.
Next-to-last Burnley has already been relegated while Palace might not play its first-choice lineup in the last round, given it is playing in the Conference League final three days later.
City has a game in hand, with its remaining matches against Palace at home on Wednesday, Bournemouth away on May 19 and Aston Villa at home on the final day.
West Ham stayed in the relegation zone in third-to-last place.
Aston Villa still has work to do to secure Champions League qualification after being held 2-2 at already-relegated Burnley.
That kept Villa in fifth place, behind Liverpool on goal difference and four points above sixth-place Bournemouth in the race to finish in the top five and get into Europe's top competition.
All three teams have two games left, with Villa and Bournemouth still having to play Man City.
Villa's players have another possible route into next season's Champions League: By winning the Europa League.
If they do that and finish fifth in the league, then the team that places sixth — currently Bournemouth, though Brighton is only two points further back — would also qualify.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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