Arsenal return to Premier League action this afternoon with a difficult London derby away to West Ham, just days after their unforgettable Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.
The Gunners secured their place in the Champions League Final on Tuesday night, but Mikel Arteta will now demand complete focus from his players as the Premier League title race continues.
West Ham may not have enjoyed the season many expected, but their recent home form shows they remain a dangerous side at the London Stadium. Arsenal will also need to manage both physical fatigue and emotional energy levels after such a huge European occasion.
Arsenal’s confirmed starting XI vs West Ham
⚪️ 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔴
Unchanged in east London. COME ON YOU GUNNERS!
🤝 Presented by @deel
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 10, 2026
Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice once again look set to play crucial roles for Arsenal, with Rice facing his former club in another massive fixture for the Gunners.
Arsenal looking to maintain title pressure
The biggest challenge for Arsenal today may simply be maintaining the same intensity and concentration levels shown in midweek.
Jarrod Bowen remains West Ham’s biggest attacking threat and Arsenal will need to stay alert during transitions and counter attacks, especially if the hosts sit deep and attempt to frustrate Arteta’s side.
However, if Arsenal can establish control early through West Ham’s former captain Rice, Odegaard and Saka, the visitors should still have enough quality to continue their push at the top of the table.
Match Preview: Arsenal must refocus quickly for dangerous West Ham test.
This feels like a potentially awkward afternoon for Arsenal, but title-winning teams find ways to win these types of matches, especially after emotional European nights.
Can the Gunners avoid a post-Atletico hangover and keep the pressure firmly on Manchester City?
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Jamie in Dagenham I know you’re a Hammer my mucker…BUT you’re lot are dirty buggers for real.
That was a rollercoaster.
Why do we always need play like this? I want the title for us, but I am still not sure MA ball is what gets the title or some sort of shitty luck.
Why do we have to make everything so stressful? Why could we not have just held the ball for the last 6 minutes, rather than booting it back to them?
If they are not fouling Raya, he catches it easily. The foul on him is forcing his chin in the air and his head back. It’s not even disputable as an obvious foul.
If it wasn’t for VAR, thats a goal.
yeah dude but if they don’t put his arm to his neck they don’t score
It’s an easy catch but for the foul. It’s not just any challenge, the arm is forcing Raya’s head backwards whilst a second foul is pulling Raya backwards.
Correct but VAR had to see it the ref didn’t. Im stating VAR got the decision right and people don’t want VAR.
We won that despite some poor decisions from our manager. We made far more hard work of that than we should. West Ham were so poor but we had messed our whole dynamic up. It wasn’t a deserved win BUT IT WAS A WIN.
@Reggie
And to the desperate (like me), that’s all that matters…😁
It is but that was very poor by our manager. DID HE FEEL THE PRESSURE. DID HE PANICK. That was really bad from him. But yes we won.
@Reggie
Yeah. I think both when White had be taken off. Why he bought on Zuba and shift Rice to RB, is a wonder to me.
He messed up and we got lucky. But we won. He can not make a grave error like that again. It was a S**T SHOW.
It was a bit of a mess. Decision to bring on Zoob for White was a committee decision, three of them talked through the options long and hard. How they decided between them to put Rice at right back for rest of the game is bizarre.
Skelly was in the side, how awful could our left back has been at right back? Hinky has played there.
There was a long conversation between Arteta and his coaches before that substitution was made
We both said same point same time. It wasn’t Arteta.
It was all the coaches lost the plot at the same time 🤣
Arteta is the manager? Not his coaches.
Can we all enjoy the win is stop complaining if it was that easy the remaining 19 teams would have been in our Position
Absolutely Joe – what a crazy set of fans we really are!!!
Everyone’s a better manager than Arteta – he’s made awful subs blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!!!
We are top of the PL, five points clear, with just two games to go!!
.
FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE ENJOY THE MOMENT 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
You don’t like fact Ken? What is being said is fact. He made a game we were controlling, something of a mess, by some of his hysterical decisions. At the end of the season (hopefully) we will all enjoy. But why should we gloss over something that nearly cost us the league?
It’s your opinion that he messed up with his substitutions.
You have no idea what was said between Arteta and his staff and why such a decision was made, none whatsoever!!
It’s the hysterical and negative reaction after this important win, that is so OTT.
Not mine only Ken and he is the manager, his coaches do not have the final say. He did say after the game, he made the decision. Anyway as poor as it was, we got away with it and hope he never does it again.
Cost us the league with some of his decisions in this game when he’s been the manager during the entire journey? Has he perhaps done a few things to help us win the league as well? Given where we are, it would seem that the good likely far outweighs the bad.
that was the hardest game I ever had to watch
didn’t enjoy it all
if we win it this season Ken I’ll never worry again because my heart can’t take it
That is one of the strangest games I have ever seen. It was bizarre in what was going on. It was pandemonium.
I felt the same Dan, but can’t believe the flack that MA is getting.
Imagine if we are only 1-0 up against Burnley and they get a corner in the last minute!!!
never again can a gooner claim there is an agenda against us lol
Why was there?
After watching the VAR replay Dan. Kavanaugh couldn’t really ignore the foul against Raya could he?
no but it’s amusing to listen to other fans on YouTube lol
we really are not liked
It’s really baffling how Arteta sets his team up like this , playing negatively waiting for the one lucky goal and continue the negative style, it’s essentially setting up to draw if you ask me. It was a shit show today every single player except for Trossard and odegaard played with the intent of going forward every other player played to defend an imaginary goal. It’s mind blowing. If Arteta employs this tactic next season , he should be fired. What utter rubbish. Totally undeserved win.
Arteta messed up, end of. We got away with one there. NEXT!!
He messed up but saw the mistake and fixed it. How many times do people do that?
I am not just saying this as a knee jerking response. It has been a long time thought. MA shall be replaced even we win EPl and/CL this season. Just can’t stand watching our negative play and calling us ambitious.
Datunlu, sack Mikel if we win trophies ? 😲🙄. Give your head a wobble.
Wobble is a luxury for your head.
Even if we win, which I very much hope so, the result would be less credited to MA’s managing, tactical, or style superiority, especially in EPL. I am completely fine for us to enjoy shitty luck. But I don’t see sustainability for the long term. I don’t want this to be a one-off season. The investment in this club deserves to be rewarded with long term dominance and consistency. Our attack is in complete shambles and we never know which team would show up. I don’t see any player of this world that can change our fundamental issues given this style of play. The damage to the club is insidious but real, we can’t cover our eyes and pretend nothing is happening.
Nah, my heads fine thanks.
So, according to you, Mikel shouldn’t take any credit if we win the PL 😂😂😂. Luck may play a part in Cup games, but not when winning a League Title. The best team always win a League, because it’s over a season.
“An attack that’s a complete shambles”
Yet here we are with the best GD in the PL, who has scored more goals than us in said PL and, meanwhile, we sit atop said PL?
Ken, it’s unbelievable the things some people come up with.
👍HD & Ken1945. Incredible.
damage to our club ?
we are top of the Prem and in a CL final.
Always said if he gets us over the line you can only say well done
What we need is a win. And we have it, we thank God stop complaining.
I didn’t think it was negative to begin with. We did everything but put the ball in the back of the net
We did Sue but our manager changed that?
Oh yes. It was odd and changed the dynamic completely. Half way through the second half I sensed panic setting in. It was much more nervy than it should have been, but football can be like that sometimes. When all is said and done, we won. I’m just relieved at this juncture
Sue I am so happy but Arteta nearly cost us the league. We got away with that big style. Now it doesn’t matter but it would have been WW3 if we had drawn. or lost because of.
you can’t say that mate
your focusing on one moment
what about the character he’s built because two years ago we don’t win that game
what about the subs of Odegarrd and Havertz who brought composure ?
what about the defense he has built
That one moment was actually more than one and it could have cost us. It was poor. Probably the most indecisive decision making in a game, I have seen. We won and ultimately it didn’t matter but it could have cost us, it was that serious.
Dan, you and I are on the same wavelength here.
Here we are, after one of the most crucial wins this season, trying to tell Mikel Arteta what he did wrong.
WHU were fighting for their PL life and weren’t going to stand back, giving us the three points.
A great win, excellent performance and not one bottle in sight!!
EA, say you don’t know football without saying you don’t know football.
The team were set up the same as against Madrid, Fulham etc.
This set up has got us to within reach of winning the PL and the CL.
If you don’t like the football we play, then you are free to be a fan of another club.
|
…rapturous applause.
w2w, 👍
Wao. That was a rollercoaster. Yes, the manger made mistake but wasn’t punished today. Luck was our side. Can we enjoy the position the team is? Guess anyone complaining is an other team’s fan
Totally agree
As poor as we were today
As lucky as we were today
Who damn well cares about how the 3 points come at this moment in time
3 points and now 2 games from glory
Wr are.not going to get a better chance to win this league then this season
Best thing is the city fans really thought it was back on
How must they feel
Trossard again
Onwards and upwards
yeah
every Champions have that away game in a season where you find how to win
My heart can’t take any more.. after 22 years of wait and I might possibly be dead before we lift the trophy 🏆 🤣
@GR
I aged by 1 year in 90 mins + injury time. Too tired to celebrate.
You know I always laugh when thinking of Pep clawing his face off and needing medical treatment at full time, because it’s funny because it doesn’t make any sense at all to go to such lengths – even people in padded cells don’t rip their own faces off.
Guys, STOP complaining and enjoy. We are playing against damn referees, who constantly support Man City. Did you see the game with Brentford?
So be happy that God helped us this time and lets move on.
Our captain’s celebration after Trossard scored is memorable.
Yep 👍
Yeah. That moment deserves its place in the most critical goals of our season. Ode, Rice and Trossard, what a goal. How Ode carried the ball and created that chance with Rice’ masterpiece connection was classic.
why I love sport peeps
the margain between success and failure
West Ham score and I’m thinking City are now faves
it’s crazy that one decision might changes our history