Arsenal travel to the London Stadium to take on West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, for what will be a huge game for both sides.
Hammers boss David Moyes is in desperate need of a win after a woeful January leading into an abysmal February, whilst Mikel Arteta needs all three points to remain in the title race.
It should be a cracking game this weekend with both sides in desperate need of a win, and we’ve been on a good run against the side from north London.
West Ham have beaten Arsenal twice already this season. Could we make it three in a row? There is some very good news indeed for us ahead of the match…
Premier League announcement ahead of West Ham vs Arsenal
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
Premier League announcement ahead of West Ham vs Arsenal
The Premier League have confirmed via their official website that Craig Pawson will take charge of the game at the London Stadium this weekend.
West Ham have a pretty good history with Pawson. The 44-year-old has given numerous decisions in our favour over the past couple of years.
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He was the referee for our clash with Liverpool at the London Stadium back in 2021 – a game that we won 3-2.
And Pawson failed to even book Aaron Cresswell for what many thought was a red-card offence after his tackle on Jordan Henderson – a decision that sent Jurgen Klopp into meltdown (Daily Mail).
Then, in February of last year, he refused to award Chelsea a penalty after Tomas Soucek stopped the ball going into our net with his hand. It was a baffling decision at the time, but one that really worked in our favour. It ended up being a vital point for us on the road to Premier League safety.
He has some history with Arsenal as well, but it’s not as pretty to read as it is from the West Ham fans’ perspective. Pawson was the man who sent off David Luiz and Bernd Leno during the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat to Wolves back in 2021.
Hector Bellerin posted an Instagram picture after the game, depicting Pawson fist-bumping the then Wolves skipper Conor Coady at full-time. Make of that what you will.
And then on December 28th 2023, Pawson was the man who was on VAR duty during our 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Premier League ref gave our first goal after the ball was perceived to have gone out before Jarrod Bowen pulled it back for Tomas Soucek to slot home.
Craig Pawson West Ham record
The Hammers have won seven, drawn eight and lost six of the games that Pawson has officiated for us throughout the years (Transfermarkt).
The fact that we’ve lost less than 30% of our games with the 44-year-old in charge is pretty good if you ask me.
Let’s hope that Pawson is a lucky omen for us in East London against the Gunners this weekend. I tell you one thing, Arsenal fans won’t be happy one little bit that he is officiating the game against West Ham on Sunday.
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