Arteta praises 'courage and bravery' of officials after contentious call seals West Ham win

[p]Arteta's side looked as though they had suffered a huge blow in the Premier League title race when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wilson-callum/YwKMvtoh/"]Wilson[/a] slammed home in stoppage time after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Gunners[/a] keeper [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/raya-david/nkVV0IXb/"]David Raya[/a] dropped the ball.[/p][p]But Kavanagh eventually disallowed the goal for a foul by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pablo/WUmzSYj5/"]Pablo[/a] on Raya after being advised by the VAR officials to consult the pitch-side monitor.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/west-ham/Cxq57r8g/"]West Ham[/a] were furious with the decision, but Arteta claimed justice was done.[/p][p][b]"Today I have to congratulate them. They showed a lot of courage and bravery to stand out and give the opportunity to the referee to have a look at the action," [/b]he said.[/p][p][b]"When you see the picture, there is no question that it is a clear foul. They were very brave. The action deserved that.[/b][/p][p][b]"In my opinion, it is very clear. They are the rules, and we ask for consistency.[/b][/p][embed guid="1deb3587-2a6e-45bc-b460-4c555d713c54" url="https://x.com/Arsenal/status/2053535093520728307?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]"But today I realised, for the referees to be in that position and make that call and change the course of one of the two teams, what a responsibility. What a big call."[/b][/p][p]The controversial decision left Arsenal on the brink of winning the title for the first time in 22 years.[/p][p]They sit five points clear of second-placed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a], who host [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/crystal-palace/AovF1Mia/"]Crystal Palace[/a] for their game in hand on Wednesday.[/p][p]The north London club will be crowned champions if they beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/burnley/z3dmTMMO/"]Burnley[/a] at home on May 18th and win at Palace on May 24th.[/p][h2]'Beauty of the Premier League'[/h2][p][b]"I am certainly going to remember this day. It was a rollercoaster of emotions,"[/b] Arteta said.[/p][p][b]"We knew it was going to be tough day; West Ham are fighting for their lives, and we are trying to win the Premier League.[/b][/p][p]"So much at stake. We started the game so well and had three big chances. Then the injury of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/white-ben/pvGdJANj/"]Ben White[/a], we had to make a change and adapt, we had to make difficult decisions.[/p][p][b]"We threw everything we had to try and win it. We were rewarded for that courage."[/b][/p][image alt="Key match stats" id="93d3038c-b899-4c6a-bf8d-f5f3573d4004" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="3bdff643-e0f6-4d1e-883a-0cf8a39b335a" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]With the long-awaited title now in touching distance, Arteta singled out Raya and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/odegaard-martin/ID32TGhp/"]Martin Odegaard[/a] for their priceless contributions.[/p][p]Raya made a brilliant save with his foot to keep out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fernandes-mateus/rFdshPHI/"]Mateus Fernandes[/a]' close-range effort when the score was still [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/arsenal-hA1Zm19f/west-ham-Cxq57r8g/?mid=8Cxbx9Wh"]0-0[/a].[/p][p]Odegaard, used sparingly by Arteta in recent weeks, came off the bench to provide the assist for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/trossard-leandro/xUAbnjp2/"]Trossard[/a]'s winner with a clever run and pass.[/p][p][b]"If you want the chance to win 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," [/b]said Arteta, who has also led Arsenal to the Champions League final against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psg/CjhkPw0k/"]Paris Saint-Germain[/a] on May 30th.[/p][p]"Martin made an incredible action to win us the game after David's save. In the end, this is the beauty of the Premier League."[/p][embed guid="08336c33-03e8-4c4d-90bd-083323408821" url="https://x.com/Arsenal/status/2053538066099556660?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet" social-type="twitter" /][p]Asked how he felt about Arsenal being two games from title glory, Arteta added: [b]"Now we leave and enjoy what we have done today, because as I said, it has been an incredible week.[/b][/p][p]"Those players, the way they are standing in front of the opportunity and showing resilience, it is remarkable."[/p]