Arsenal secured a slender 1-0 victory over West Ham United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Gunners had a brilliant start to the London derby on the road, but their performance levels dropped after an untimely injury to Ben White midway through the opening half.
The second half was evenly matched between the clubs. Arsenal eventually broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute after Leandro Trossard scored from a Martin Odegaard assist.
West Ham got the ball into the Gunners’ net in stoppage time, but the goal was rightly ruled out after Pablo Felipe was spotted holding onto David Raya’s arm in the lead-up.
Jean-Clair Todibo was likewise pulling Raya’s shirt from behind, though VAR did not spot that incident.
Raya was tremendous in goal with three saves, including one from point-blank range. Trossard also had a memorable derby, scoring for the first time for Arsenal in the calendar year.
The left winger has come up with several clutch moments for the Gunners. He will no doubt remember his winner at the London Stadium if Arsenal were to lift a long-awaited title.
After the win, Trossard celebrated the moment on Instagram with the caption: ‘No words needed’.
Several Arsenal stars responded to his post, including Raya, who described him as a ‘beast’.
Trossard had a brilliant start to the current campaign. He managed 14 goal contributions before the turn of the year. However, his form has been hugely inconsistent in the back end of the season.
The £27 million signing has managed just four goal involvements since January, but appears to have recaptured his touch. He provided an assist against Fulham before bagging the winner yesterday.
Trossard is now expected to keep his place on the left wing for the final two league matches against Burnley and Crystal Palace, and could start the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain too.
His future, however, could be a topic of huge discussion. Arsenal handed him a pay rise last summer without extending his contract beyond June 2027. This suggests that they could offload him soon.
The Gunners have already started their search for a marquee left winger.