#117 The Decision That Could Relegate West Ham

#117 The Decision That Could Relegate West Ham

From The West Ham Breakdown by Jack Elderton

May 12, 2026 · 56 min · Season 3 · Episode 38

About this episode

Jack and Cal analyze the controversial VAR decision in the West Ham vs Arsenal match and its implications for the relegation battle.

Support the show and get more from Analytics United: https://www.patreon.com/AnalyticsUnited Jack and Cal break down West Ham 0-1 Arsenal, discussing Callum Wilson's late disallowed equaliser which was controversially ruled out by VAR for a potential foul on David Raya by Pablo Felipe. They talk the lack of consistency in refereeing set-pieces, particularly regarding blocking and grappling from corners, and how these decisions are impacting both the relegation battle and title race. They also praise the Hammers' resilient defending, break down the significant impact Ben White's injury had by forcing Declan Rice into a makeshift right-back role and debate if West Ham were good enough on the ball. Timestamps: (00:00) West Ham 0-1 Arsenal review (01:13) Should West Ham’s goal have been disallowed goal? (10:59) Are set-pieces impossible to defend now? (17:30) VAR’s effect on football (20:44) How Arsenal dominated the first 20 minutes (27:56) Why West Ham improved when Declan Rice moved to right-back (35:16) How Arsenal regained control at half time (37:21) West Ham’s defence was magnificent (43:25) Could West Ham have done better for Arsenal’s goal? (46:29) Were West Ham bad on the…

People in this episode

Host: Jack Elderton

Guest: Cal

Topics covered

  • West Ham vs Arsenal
  • VAR controversy
  • refereeing consistency
  • relegation battle
  • set-pieces
  • defensive performance

Keywords

  • West Ham
  • Arsenal
  • VAR
  • Callum Wilson
  • Declan Rice
  • refereeing
  • set-pieces
  • relegation

Sponsors

Analytics United

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: VAR, Arsenal, West Ham

More episodes of The West Ham Breakdown

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The West Ham Breakdown podcast page.