West Ham United take on Arsenal in the Premier League on Thursday December 28th, and there is some good news for us ahead of the game.
Arsenal play host to West Ham in the Premier League next week, and it will be a hugely important game for both sides.
Hammers boss David Moyes and Gunners chief Mikel Arteta will be absolutely desperate for their respective sides to rack up three points on Thursday night.
West Ham had a big concern heading into the Manchester United game yesterday, with Vladimir Coufal just one booking away from being suspended for the Arsenal match, but luckily he avoided a yellow card.
The Hammers head into the game full of confidence, but Arsenal are flying high at the top of the league, so they will obviously be very tough to beat.
That said, it seems like we may have a good luck charm on our side for the Premier League clash in north London…
West Ham handed big boost ahead of Arsenal clash
Craig Pawson will be on VAR duty for our clash with the Gunners, as confirmed via the Premier League’s official website.
Now, 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.
He was the referee for our clash with Liverpool at the London Stadium back in 2021 – a game that we won 3-2.
During that match, 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 this 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.
Craig Pawson’s 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.
Hopefully that good record continues against Arsenal on Thursday, and if West Ham can avoid defeat at the Emirates it will cap off a fantastic first half of the season for us.
With Pawson on VAR duty, I’m just hoping that we’ll get a helping hand against the Gunners.
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