West Ham United welcome Arsenal to the London Stadium today, 10 May 2026, for a high-stakes Premier League London derby with enormous consequences at both ends of the table. Arsenal are attempting to take another major step towards their first league title since 2004, while West Ham desperately need points to strengthen their chances of avoiding relegation after 14 consecutive seasons in the Premier League.
The pressure on Arsenal increased before kickoff after Manchester City defeated Brentford 3-0 on Saturday, reducing the Gunners' advantage at the top from five points to two. Mikel Arteta's side therefore enter the match with 76 points from 35 games, while City have 74 from the same number of matches. Arsenal still control their own destiny, but any dropped points at the London Stadium would give Pep Guardiola's team another opportunity to influence the title race.
West Ham's situation is just as serious. Nuno Espírito Santo's side begin the match 18th with 36 points, one behind Tottenham Hotspur in 17th. With only three games remaining, victory over Arsenal could put immediate pressure back on Spurs, while another defeat would leave the Hammers increasingly dependent on results elsewhere to preserve their Premier League status.
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West Ham vs Arsenal Head-to-Head Summary: Last 10 Premier League Matches
Arsenal have controlled the recent league rivalry, winning six of the 10 Premier League meetings immediately before today's fixture. West Ham have managed two victories, while another two matches ended in draws. Across those games, Arsenal scored 25 goals compared with West Ham's 12, producing 37 goals in total and an average of 3.7 per match.
The last 10 Premier League meetings before today's game were:
4 October 2025: Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
22 February 2025: Arsenal 0-1 West Ham
30 November 2024: West Ham 2-5 Arsenal
11 February 2024: West Ham 0-6 Arsenal
28 December 2023: Arsenal 0-2 West Ham
16 April 2023: West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
26 December 2022: Arsenal 3-1 West Ham
1 May 2022: West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
15 December 2021: Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
21 March 2021: West Ham 3-3 Arsenal
The recent results contain enough encouragement for both clubs. Arsenal have produced two spectacular victories on their previous two league trips to the London Stadium, winning 6-0 in February 2024 and 5-2 in November of the same year. West Ham, however, have also beaten Arsenal twice since December 2023, including a memorable 1-0 victory at the Emirates in February 2025 that caused significant damage to the Gunners' title ambitions that season.
Most Recent Meeting: Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
The reverse fixture took place at the Emirates Stadium on 4 October 2025, when Arsenal secured a controlled 2-0 victory. The result continued Arsenal's strong opening to the campaign and provided another example of Arteta's side finding a way through a West Ham team prepared to defend for long periods.
That victory also means Arsenal have an opportunity today to complete a Premier League double over their London rivals. They had previously achieved the feat 12 times before this season, illustrating how consistently the Gunners have enjoyed the upper hand in this particular derby.
West Ham can nevertheless look back to February 2025 for evidence that Arsenal can be frustrated. Jarrod Bowen scored the only goal at the Emirates on that occasion, and a similar disciplined performance would be extremely valuable today given the Hammers' desperate league position.
West Ham's Current Premier League Form
West Ham's position in the relegation zone does not tell the entire story of their recent performances. Before last weekend's defeat at Brentford, Nuno's team had shown significant signs of improvement and had put together a much stronger sequence of results that temporarily lifted them above Tottenham in the survival battle.
Their 2-1 home victory over Everton on 25 April was particularly important, with Callum Wilson scoring a stoppage-time winner to move West Ham onto 36 points. That result came during a run in which the Hammers became increasingly difficult to beat at the London Stadium, and they enter today's game unbeaten in their previous six Premier League home fixtures, winning three and drawing three.
The momentum was damaged by a 3-0 defeat away to Brentford on 2 May. The scoreline looked particularly damaging in the relegation battle, although West Ham were not completely outplayed and managed 13 attempts while hitting the woodwork three times. Tottenham's victory over Aston Villa then pushed the Hammers back into 18th place and made today's meeting with the league leaders even more important.
One concern is West Ham's record in London derbies at home. They have lost all five of their home Premier League matches against fellow London clubs this season, and no team in English league history has lost six home London derbies in a single campaign. Arsenal therefore arrive with an opportunity to extend a particularly unwanted record for the Hammers.
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Arsenal's Current Premier League Form
Arsenal enter today's fixture after one of the most important weeks in the club's recent history. On Tuesday, they defeated Atlético Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates to complete a 2-1 aggregate victory and reach the UEFA Champions League final for the first time since 2006. Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal, setting up a final in Budapest later this month.
Their league form has also recovered strongly after a difficult period in April. Back-to-back defeats against Bournemouth and Manchester City briefly allowed City to take control of the title race, but Arsenal responded by beating Newcastle United 1-0 and Fulham 3-0. Those six points returned them to the top and restored the championship to their own hands.
The Fulham performance was especially convincing, with Arsenal scoring all three goals during a dominant first half. Their 2.5 expected goals before halftime was their highest first-half total in a Premier League match this season, while they have scored inside the opening 10 minutes in each of their previous two league fixtures. Another fast start could be particularly valuable against a West Ham side likely to become more dangerous if the game remains level and tension grows.
Arsenal's defence remains another major strength. They have recorded 30 clean sheets across all competitions this season, their highest total since 1993/94, and their ability to control matches without conceding has been crucial during both their Premier League title challenge and run to the Champions League final.
Home and Away Analysis
West Ham's overall season has been disappointing, but their recent home record gives them a genuine source of hope. Six consecutive league games without defeat at the London Stadium shows that Nuno has made the team considerably harder to overcome in front of their own supporters, and the urgency surrounding the relegation battle should ensure a highly charged atmosphere.
Arsenal, however, have very positive recent memories of this ground. Their previous two Premier League visits produced an extraordinary 11 goals, with the 6-0 victory in February 2024 followed by a 5-2 win in November 2024. No team has beaten West Ham away from home more often in Premier League history than Arsenal, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing the hosts despite their improved home performances.
The circumstances today are different because West Ham are fighting for survival and Arsenal are carrying the physical and emotional demands of a Champions League semi-final played only five days ago. How effectively Arteta's players recover from that European occasion could become one of the most important factors in the match.
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West Ham Team News and Injuries
West Ham enter the derby in considerably better health than the original injury information suggested. As of 9 May, there were no confirmed first-team players ruled out through injury and no major doubts, allowing Nuno to select from a relatively complete squad for one of the biggest matches of the season.
Jarrod Bowen remains the player Arsenal will need to watch most carefully. The West Ham captain has recorded seven assists across his previous six Premier League appearances at the London Stadium and nine league assists during 2026, with only Bruno Fernandes producing more over the same period. His ability to carry the ball forward, create chances and attack the spaces behind Arsenal's full-backs makes him central to any successful counter-attacking strategy.
Nuno can also call upon attacking options such as Wilson and Taty Castellanos, while Mateus Fernandes and Tomáš Souček provide physicality and energy in midfield. Having a healthy squad is particularly important because West Ham are likely to spend periods of the match defending intensely and will need fresh legs if they are still chasing a result late in the second half.
Arsenal Team News and Injuries
Arsenal's injury situation has improved significantly from earlier in the week. Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz both returned to the matchday squad for Tuesday's Champions League victory over Atlético Madrid, meaning neither should be considered a major doubt for the West Ham game.
The two confirmed absentees are Jurrien Timber and Mikel Merino. Timber remains sidelined with a groin problem, and Arteta indicated before the match that there was a possibility the defender might not play again this season. Merino is continuing his recovery following a foot problem and is similarly facing a race to return before the campaign ends.
Bukayo Saka's return to full involvement has been particularly important. He scored the goal that sent Arsenal into the Champions League final and has an excellent record against West Ham, contributing five goals and four assists across his previous eight Premier League appearances against the Hammers.
Viktor Gyökeres is another player arriving in excellent form. The striker has scored nine goals in his previous 12 Premier League appearances and produced two goals and an assist against Fulham last weekend, giving West Ham's centre-backs another major problem to solve.
Tactical Matchup and Style of Play
1. West Ham
Nuno is unlikely to ask West Ham to compete with Arsenal for long periods of possession. The more realistic approach is to remain compact, protect central areas and use Bowen, Crysencio Summerville and the centre-forward quickly whenever possession changes hands. Arsenal's full-backs frequently move into advanced positions, so successful turnovers could give the Hammers opportunities to attack spaces before Arteta's defensive structure can recover.
Set pieces should also be treated as an important attacking route because West Ham possess considerable height and physical strength. However, that battle works both ways because Arsenal have been the Premier League's outstanding set-piece team this season, scoring 27 goals from dead-ball situations, including a league-record 17 from corners.
2. Arsenal
Arsenal are expected to dominate possession and territory, with Rice controlling midfield and Saka providing much of the width and creativity from the right. Eberechi Eze and Leandro Trossard give Arteta additional options between the lines, while Gyökeres can occupy West Ham's centre-backs and attack crosses into the penalty area.
Patience could become particularly important if West Ham defend with a low block. Arsenal do not need to turn the match into an open contest, especially against a team whose survival situation makes counter-attacking football attractive. Maintaining control while steadily increasing pressure should allow the visitors to create opportunities without unnecessarily exposing David Raya's goal.
West Ham vs Arsenal Match Expectations
Arsenal deserve to enter the match as clear favourites based on their league position, recent head-to-head record and overall defensive consistency. Opta's pre-match model gave Arsenal a 58.1% probability of victory, compared with 19.3% for West Ham and 22.6% for the draw.
However, the Hammers should not be dismissed simply because they are in the relegation zone. Their six-match unbeaten home run demonstrates that Nuno has made the London Stadium a much more difficult place to visit, while the desperation of their survival battle gives them enormous motivation to frustrate the leaders.
The first goal could decide how comfortable Arsenal's afternoon becomes. An early breakthrough would force West Ham to take more attacking risks and could create space for Saka, Gyökeres and Arsenal's other forwards. If the Hammers remain level well into the second half, however, pressure could increase on an Arsenal team that knows Manchester City's victory on Saturday has reduced its advantage to only two points.
For West Ham, even a draw could prove valuable in such a tight relegation battle, although victory would provide a far greater boost before Tottenham play Leeds United on Monday. Arsenal's objective is much clearer: three points would restore their five-point lead at the top and leave them another major step closer to ending a 22-year wait for the Premier League title.
The league table makes Arsenal favourites, but the circumstances surrounding this London derby suggest a much more difficult contest than the Gunners' previous two visits to the stadium. West Ham are fighting for their Premier League lives, Arsenal are chasing a historic domestic and European double, and neither side can afford to treat today's match as anything other than one of the defining fixtures of their season.