Arsenal appear to have found their new Ramsey

A week ago, Arsenal beat Fulham 3-0. Victory was never in doubt as Mikel Arteta’s side played their best football all season.

This weekend has not been a good one for the Gunners. In fact, it was quite controversial.

Leandro Trossard scored the only goal against West Ham, but it wasn’t without some great surprises. Truth be told, Arsenal struggled to produce much. It was a performance that was perhaps more indicative of the display we saw after the Carabao Cup final.

But like all good teams, they found a way to get over the line, even with the help of VAR in the dying embers of the game.

How Arsenal overcame a tense game against West Ham

Arsenal have started their last three Premier League games in great fashion. Against Newcastle, Eberechi Eze opened the scoring in the 10th minute, while against Fulham, Victor Gokeres scored early on.

Against West Ham, Arteta’s side could have won through early attack and defence. They dominated the ball and had nine shots before the hosts got their first shot.

However, the game changed completely when the injured Ben White was substituted. The right-back injured his knee after a match with Crisencio Somerville, and the full-back was sent off.

Manager Arteta has made the decision to install Declan Rice at right-back. Cristian Mosquera could have been given priority, but instead Martin Zvimendi appeared as partner of Miles Lewis-Skelly in the center of the park.

But at that moment, the visiting team lost control of the game. The midfield was bypassed and the right flank was unprepared to deal with West Ham’s wave of attack, mainly from El Hadji Malik Diouf.

But Arsenal bounced back and Arteta was able to correct his mistake in the second period. Things looked to be improving with Rice moving back into midfield and Mosquera at right-back.

Despite this, league leaders still found life difficult. Three big moments changed the game this way and that. David Raya came to the rescue and made a great save to deny Matheus Fernandes’ shot. The midfielder fumbled the goal in a one-on-one, but Arsenal’s goalkeeper held on and made a top save. That was the exact moment his team could have won the title.

Trossard was the ultimate hero, scoring the winning goal. Martin Odegaard, in his best cameo of the season, remained calm inside the area and scored from a deflection off the Belgian.

But there was still another big moment. Callum Wilson looked to have saved a point for the relegation-threatened Irons in the final moments, but a foul on Raya forced the score to be canceled. Pablo pinched the Spaniard’s arm, but the goal was disallowed after a lengthy VAR review.

The Arsenal goalkeeper was at the center of two of the game’s biggest moments, but the biggest credit should go to Trossard.

Arsenal’s modern-day Aaron Ramsey saves the day

It’s been a tough battle for the Gunners, but it’s safe to say they rediscovered their mojo in the final third last week.

Much of this is due to the generosity of Mr. Trossard. While Gokeres and Bukayo Saka are scoring the goals, they are ably assisted by the older players on the left.

It’s been a pretty disastrous start to 2026 for the winger. Before today’s game, he had not scored in 25 consecutive games. He hasn’t scored a goal all year.

However, Trossard has shown excellent performances in the last two league games. Last week, the 31-year-old assisted Gokeres’ second goal, completing a career-high six dribbles in a single game.

This time he became a true hero and ended a terrible slump. It was a classic Trossard moment. He has been Mr Clutch since arriving at the Emirates Stadium. Call him a modern-day Aaron Ramsey if you like.

Before Arteta’s reign, Ramsey of Clutch player in the late Wenger era. He always put in a special performance in the North London derby, scoring twice in the FA Cup final to lift Arsenal the trophy.

A few years later, Trossard seems to be the person to watch now. It is not the first time the attacker has scored a significant goal since his £27m move from Brighton.

The wide forward was a constant trump card during the 2023/24 season, scoring 17 goals in all competitions. He saved a point with a late equalizer against Chelsea, hit home against Liverpool, scored again against Chelsea and scored against Manchester United.

In Europe, he scored an important goal against Porto and scored the goal to save a draw against Bayern Munich with 14 minutes left in the quarter-final first leg.

There have been fewer such moments in 2025/26, but he has provided a timely reminder in the last two league games of why he plays such an important role in Arteta’s team.

Trossard’s hope now is that, like Ramsey, he can end his time at the Emirates with silverware. If they go on to lift the Premier League title in two weeks’ time, they may have something to thank for that goal.