Watford 1 - 3 Arsenal

Watford 1 - 3 Arsenal

Arsenal’s Mesut Özil and Alexis Sánchez turn on style against Watford

Home team scorers
Roberto Pereyra 57

Away team scorers
Santi Cazorla 9 Pen
Alexis Sanchez 40
Mesut Ozil 45 +0:38

On Friday Wenger was asked whether his transfer dealings were motivated by desperation. “Look at my face,” he responded. “Is this the face of someone who tends to panic?” A day later he might have enjoyed the expressions on a few Watford defenders as Arsenal, previously becalmed this season, for one half at least displayed the kind of creativity and ruthlessness that would have even their manager’s harshest critics purring.

Mesut Özil, who made his first start of the season after appearing as a substitute at Leicester, was at the heart of much of their finest football, with Alexis Sánchez also outstanding, winning a penalty, claiming an assist and scoring a goal of his own against an unfamiliar, and unconvincing, Watford back three.

The patched-up nature of Arsenal’s defence had been a feature of the early season, but this time it was their opponents’ that was significantly weakened. With Craig Cathcart injured and Miguel Britos given leave to attend the birth of his child, there were league debuts for Younès Kaboul and Christian Kabasele, who played either side of the mountainous Austrian Sebastian Prödl.

Arsenal swiftly worked out a way through them, with the first hint of it coming in the sixth minute when Sánchez’s chipped pass found Özil bursting into the area but offside. Two minutes later the pair repeated the trick in reverse, Özil this time lofting the ball into the box, but before the Chilean could bring it under control he was caught by Nordin Amrabat’s elbow. Kevin Friend took so long to give the penalty that Watford had assumed there would not be one, and on the touchlines Walter Mazzarri burst into furious gesticulations when the referee finally pointed to the spot.

Santi Cazorla stroked his penalty low, central but beyond the diving Heurelho Gomes to kick-start a difficult first half for the home side It took another 25 minutes before Özil and Sánchez combined again with any real menace. This time the pair played a smart one-two on the edge of the penalty area, but Sánchez’s resulting low shot was saved by Gomes. In the intervening period Watford had occasionally threatened, Amrabat in particular doing well down the right. It was from one of his crosses that Watford came closest to an equaliser though it was Arsenal’s Laurent Koscielny who nearly scored it, his miscued clearance forcing Petr Cech into a smart save. Seconds later Troy Deeney turned the ball wide of the near post after a low cross from the left wing-back, José Holebas.

Having fought their way to an approximation of parity on the run of play, the last five minutes of the first half turned out to be very long ones for Watford. First they were sliced open by an excellent, swift counterattack which ended with Sánchez mishitting Theo Walcott’s fine cross over Gomes, the ball bouncing just over the line before it was cleared. Then in the final moments of stoppage time Sánchez was given a preposterous amount of time and space on the left wing, and he was the only player on the pitch to spot Özil’s late sprint into the penalty area. His centre was precise, and appropriately despatched.

As the teams left the field at half-time Roberto Pereyra, Watford’s recent signing from Juventus and initially a substitute, entered it, spending the interval warming up before replacing Adlene Guedioura. Shortly afterwards Mazzarri abandoned his back three altogether, replacing Kabasele with another new arrival, Daryl Janmaat, and within two minutes his side had a goal. Janmaat’s cross was half-cleared to Capoue, whose blocked shot fell to Pereyra, who took a touch and found the corner from eight yards.

Watford improved significantly after their reshuffle, and Odion Ighalo twice came close to bringing if not panic then at least a flicker of concern to Wenger’s face. First he latched on to the rebound after Holebas’s shot had been saved, only for Cech to rise and deny him as well. Then the Nigerian’s overhead kick, after Holebas’s long throw was flicked on by Rob Holding, flew narrowly over the bar. With a lead to protect Arsenal were increasingly content to contain and occasionally break, with both Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain sending attempted chips over the bar.

Guardian