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Having secured three wins in their last three Premier League matches, Arsenal traveled to Watford for their matchday 25 fixture on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners produced a noteworthy performance at Vicarage Road, bagging a 2-3 win against a spirited Watford outfit. The win saw them move into the top-four despite playing three games fewer than fifth-placed Manchester United, who lost 4-1 to Manchester City on Sunday.
It took Watford 18 seconds to ripple the Gunners’ netting. Unfortunately for the home supporters, Emmanuel Dennis was well offside for the goal and saw his strike ruled out. Four minutes later, the visitors found the back of the net through Martin Odegaard and there was no offside flag to ruin their celebrations.
In the 11th minute, Watford’s Juan Hernandez pulled off a scintillating overhead kick to put his side back into the contest. At the half-hour mark, the north Londoners pulled ahead once ahead, courtesy of Bukayo Saka’s thunderous left-footed strike. Seven minutes into the second 45, Gabriel Martinelli doubled the Londoners’ advantage, scoring outrageously from outside the box.
A late Moussa Sissoko strike gave the club from the England capital something to think about, but they successfully weathered the late onslaught.
Here are five Arsenal players who helped their side take a major step towards a Premier League top-four finish:
#5 Gabriel Martinelli
Truth be told, the Gunners’ left-winger Gabriel Martinelli was not too involved in the game against Watford.
But we couldn't help but admire him for his breathtaking strike in the second half, which eventually turned out to be the winner.
The Brazilian received the ball from Alexandre Lacazette, picked his spot, and hit the ball first time. The ball flew into the top-right corner of Ben Foster’s goal.
In addition to the brilliant goal, Martinelli made a key pass, winning three ground duels and making eight recoveries.
#4 Thomas Partey
Arsenal’s midfield general, Thomas Partey, was in imperious form against Watford on Sunday. His distribution was spot-on, he was physically imposing, and shielded the defense to the best of his abilities.
He also linked effortlessly with players in more advanced positions and pushed forward whenever he got the chance.
At Vicarage Road, Partey won eight duels, delivered seven long balls, made a key pass, and registered seven recoveries.
The Ghanian is beaming with confidence at the moment and could play a key role as the Gunners aim to return to the Champions League.
#3 Alexandre Lacazette
Arsenal skipper Alexandre Lacazette has not been the most clinical goalscorer this season, but thankfully, he brings a lot more to the table than goals.
Against Watford, Lacazette’s creative tendencies came to the fore once again as he set up two of the Gunners’ three goals.
The French forward was opportunistic as ever and regularly slid into little pockets of space. His link-up play was excellent and he showed impressive physical strength to hold off Craig Cathcart’s challenge en route to Saka’s goal.
Saka fed the ball to Lacazette on the edge of the Watford box and the Frenchman returned it to him with a sweet backheel.
The Englishman took care of the rest. For the third goal, Lacazette simply received a lofted ball from Odegaard and placed it in Martinelli’s path. The Brazilian put his foot through to score the visitors’ third goal of the night.
#2 Martin Odegaard
Former Real Madrid starlet Martin Odegaard has settled in nicely at Arsenal, emerging as one of their most pivotal players.
Under Mikel Arteta, the midfielder plays with authority and vigor, emerging as a leader in the middle of the park. At Watford, Odegaard’s command in the middle shone through as he found himself at the heart of every encouraging passage of play.
In the fifth minute, Odegaard received a ball from Saka down the right. He turned Samir inside out with a neat skill and fed it back to the Englishman and dashed towards the middle.
Saka found Odegaard inside the area and the Norwegian deftly applied the finishing touch, despite being under pressure from three defenders.
The young attacking midfielder also did superbly to find Lacazette with a lofted through ball, who graciously brought it down to set up Martinelli. The Brazilian’s brilliant right-footed strike took care of the rest.
Apart from the goal, Odegaard also made four key passes, winning five duels and attempting four tackles.
#1 Bukayo Saka
Arsenal no.7 Bukayo Saka was arguably the best player on the pitch at Watford. He was lightning quick, troubled Watford with his off-the-ball movement, regularly got into dangerous areas, and directly contributed to two of the Gunners’ three goals.
Four minutes after Watford’s first-minute goal was ruled out, Saka played a one-two with Odegaard to advance down the right flank.
Seeing Odegaard charge down the middle, Saka provided an inch-perfect cutback into the area, allowing the Norwegian to find the back of the net.
25 minutes later, Saka combined with Lacazette before dispatching a venomous strike towards Ben Foster’s goal. His convincing drive found the top-right corner of the Watford keeper’s goal.
Other than the goal and assist, Saka provided two key passes, attempted three tackles, and won three duels.
After Sunday’s performance, we won’t be surprised to see Arsenal offer a lucrative long-term contract to their 20-year-old superstar.
