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An own-goal from Craig Cathcart and a strike from Mesut Ozil helped Arsenal secure their fifth straight win in the Premier League with a 2-0 scoreline against Watford at the Emirates Stadium in London on Saturday, September 29.
It was a tightly contested encounter that could've gone either way. The visitors put up a well-organized, physical, and strong display against the Gunners – many would say Watford deserved to take at least a point from the game.
Arsenal, however, managed to scrape through at the end, clinching three points to ascend to the fifth spot on the Premier League points table.
"We need more control of the game, but against a good team in Watford, who played a lot of long balls and controlled second balls through Troy Deeney, we stopped them attacking. But still, in the first half we had a good chance through Alexandre Lacazette, and I said to him the most important thing is to be creating these chances, and then we will score goals"
Unai Emery, Arsenal head coach
Watford toiled hard through the 90 minutes, but lacked the finishing and the luck to get a result from the encounter.
"We had more chances more clear chances, more shots, more shots on target, and feel really good but at the end we didn't deserve the result.I think all the players put in a very good performance, and I'm pleased with the attitude of my players and with the performance as well. I think we can be only proud of them for keeping a good level and competing in all the games and deserving more. But I'm sure in future we will get it."
Javi Gracia, Watford head coach
Let us look at three reasons behind Arsenal's victory on Saturday:
#3 Solid display by the goalkeepers
The North London side needed both their goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet against the Hornets. Petr Cech, who has started all of Arsenal's matches in the league this season, made a couple of important saves in the first half.
However, the veteran goalkeeper had to be substituted after pulling his hamstring in the 45th minute. Effectively, German international Bernd Leno made his Premier League debut for the Gunners and dished out an impressive performance in the second half.
The 26-year-old made three important saves that were pivotal in keeping Arsenal in the tie. He looked commanding in the box, dealt well with set-pieces and returned three successful long-balls in his 45-minute performance. Overall, it was a memorable league debut for the Bayer Leverkusen recruit.
#2 Introduction of Alex Iwobi
The Nigerian international, who was brought in to the action at the expense of a misfiring Aaron Ramsey in the 63rd minute, turned the tables for Arsenal against Watford.
His pace, dynamism, and agility provided natural width to the Gunners' attack. He was quick on the ball, took players on consistently and peppered the Hornets with his energetic display.
The 22-year-old played an integral role in the build-up to both the goals, breaking the spine of Watford's defence. With consistent performances in the past couple of weeks, Iwobi has made a strong case to start ahead of Ramsey against Fulham next week.
#1 Lack of end-product from Watford
Lack of clinical finishing, coupled with bad fortune, saw Watford return goalless from the North London fixture. They threatened Arsenal's shaky backline throughout the game and at times, looked likely to nick a win from the encounter.
They created nine chances and had four shots on target in the 90 minutes, but failed to convert any of them into a goal.
Their best chances in the game came through a strong strike from Troy Deeney that extracted a good save from Leno, and a chip from Isaac Success that hit the far post. The score remained 0-0 though, and once Arsenal got the second half chances, they were able to capitalize.
The Gunners now have fifteen points in seven Premier League games, with two losses and five wins under their belt.
