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The way Myles Lewis-Skelly framed the story, it was akin to an act of God. And what about Ian Wright? The Arsenal club legend can be relied upon for heart-on-the-sleeve hyperbole and did not disappoint on Sunday as he reflected on the West Ham goal that was not; the most significant video assistant referee-inspired overrule of them all.
On the pitch at the London Stadium, the referee, Chris Kavanagh, announced via his microphone that West Ham’s Pablo had fouled the Arsenal goalkeeper, David Raya, and Callum Wilson’s 95th-minute equaliser would be disallowed. “Final decision, direct free-kick.”
Were they the sweetest words Wright had heard, he was asked on Sky Sports. “The sweetest words since Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’,” Wright replied.
Lewis-Skelly described a vivid scene in the Arsenal dressing room, the 1-0 win having edged them closer to the Premier League title they crave with every fibre of their being. Arsenal are five points clear of Manchester City at the top and have two matches to play – Burnley (home) and Crystal Palace (away). City have a game in hand. Their remaining fixtures are Palace (home), Bournemouth (away) and Aston Villa (home).
Lewis-Skelly started by saying: “It is just a huge sense of relief.” But there were so many competing emotions. “Joy, excitement, fulfilment – everything you can describe. We are buzzing, but we know that the job is not done. We have got two more finals left.”
How did he live the VAR moment, when Kavanagh took what felt like a lifetime before breaking West Ham hearts and pushing the club further into the relegation mire? “I don’t even know … it was just God on our side,” Lewis-Skelly said. “We are so grateful.”
An extraordinarily worrying situation followed by everything coming good in the end, faith and belief the key components: it is a neat description of Lewis-Skelly’s journey as well. Because up to the Saturday before last, the season had been characterised by frustration for the 19-year-old.
Lewis-Skelly offered the impression he wrote his own scripts when he stepped up to first-team level in sensational style. There were 15 Premier League starts and so many pinch-me moments, including his first Arsenal goal in the 5-1 win over Manchester City, which he followed by appearing to mock Erling Haaland’s “Zen” celebration.
Lewis-Skelly is no shrinking violet. He scored on his England debut against Albania after 20 minutes and when he starred against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu in the Champions League quarter-final, there were legends of the Spanish club who had one question up in the posh seats: “Who is this kid?”
It has been different this season, the minutes in the league drying up, his place in the England squad lost. When Mikel Arteta called him into the Arsenal lineup for the Bournemouth game on 11 April, it was Lewis-Skelly’s second start of the league campaign. Arsenal lost, disastrously, and it has added up to the acid test of Lewis-Skelly’s focus.
Arteta has admitted he has been tough on Lewis-Skelly this season and yet when the manager made a “gut feeling” decision to name him in the XI against Fulham nine days ago, everything changed. It was the first time Arteta had started him in midfield, the position Lewis-Skelly played as a youngster in the academy; he broke into the senior team as a left-back. His driving performance in the 3-0 win rekindled something.
Arteta stuck with Lewis-Skelly for the 1-0 Champions League semi-final, second-leg triumph over Atlético Madrid, which has set up a mouthwatering showdown against Paris Saint-Germain, and then at West Ham.
“It was tough for me initially,” Lewis-Skelly said of this season. “But I pride myself on having mental strength. Sport is not one pathway because there are ups and downs. It’s how you bounce back from that, how you are in those moments when you face adversity. That is what defines you.
“I spoke with my family and friends. I just told them: ‘I don’t want to hear all the noise that is coming from social media. Let me stay in this moment, let me continue to face this adversity and let me come out the other side of it.’
“It is always being prepared, always feeling like I prepare as a starter because you never know when your time will come. Luckily enough, it came against Fulham. I took my opportunity and helped the team out as much as I can.”
Rather abruptly, Lewis-Skelly has climbed above Martín Zubimendi in the midfield pecking order. He also faces competition from the captain, Martin Ødegaard, who made a big difference when he came on as a 67th-minute substitute against West Ham, helping to reinvigorate a performance that had listed. Lewis-Skelly went to left-back when Ødegaard was introduced.
“It feels so natural for me to be there [in midfield],” Lewis-Skelly said. “I have been training there a lot so [against Fulham] I felt comfortable. The boss told me: ‘You are going to play midfield, so go for it.’ That is what I did. I had to be bold and play with courage because that is what this league demands.”
Lewis-Skelly’s future has been called into question as he has struggled this season, the dreaded words “pure” and “profit” bandied about. But that kind of talk can wait. He has a title to win and maybe even more. “I am focused on the games we have got coming up,” he said. “And bringing this club back to glory.”
