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In perhaps one of the most entertaining matches of the Premier League season so far, Watford and Arsenal shared a 2-2 draw in front of a ruckus Vicarage Road. Despite Watford’s best efforts, the Gunners went into half time with a 2-0 lead courtesy of an emphatic brace by Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang. In the second half, the game changed, and Watford completely took charge. A Tom Cleverley strike and Roberto Pereyra penalty later and the Hornets had got their just deserves.
The draw does more for Watford than it does for Arsenal. The Gunners desperately needed to win this match in order to stake their top 4 intentions, allowing them to go level on points with Manchester City. For Watford, they’ve doubled their points tally for the season with this single draw. But it’s perhaps the performance that will give Quique Sanchez Flores the most hope going forward.
Here are 5 talking points from Watford 2-2 Arsenal.
#5 Mesut Özil returns
Arsenal’s highest-paid player was finally able to make his first appearance of the season. The German had been nursing some fitness and minor injury problems, but Unai Emery deemed today as the right day to re-introduce the 30-year-old back to the Premier League. Mesut Özil’s display against Watford didn’t teach the footballing world anything new about the German’s playing ability. He’s brilliant in flashes but fails to reciprocate off the ball.
Özil was particularly influential in his pre-assist for the second goal, as he perfectly spotted Ainsley Maitland-Niles run on the side of the box. In addition to that, the former World cup winner completed three successful take-ons and 38 passes in a fairly average performance by his standards. Although he wasn’t at his best, the Gunners’ capitulation was far from his fault.
#4 Watford resurgence
There’s no sane football fan on the planet that can say with a straight face that Arsenal deserved to win, let alone come away with any points in this match. Quique Sanchez Flores’ return to Vicarage Road was a good day all round. His team put in a tremendous shift to completely and utterly dominate a supposedly top-six team. Arsenal’s top-class players could only watch in horror as they were at the mercy of Watford’s constant attacks.
Overall, Flores’ men edged out with more possession in 53%, but here’s where their domination truly shows. The Hornets attempted 31 shots on goal, in comparison to Arsenal’s measly 7. Watford simply overpowered Arsenal in the midfield, running them ragged for the entirety of the second half. The Hornets may not have won a game this season, but this game will certainly kickstart their campaign.
#3 Playing out from the back
Innovative or deluded? This season, the Premier League ushered in a revolutionary new rule in which defenders are now allowed in their own box from a goal kick. The rule encourages teams to play out from the back, something the Gunners already pride themselves in. However, at Vicarage Road this philosophy cost Arsenal a precious goal. Watford sensed the Gunners insistence on playing short passes out from the back and readied themselves at every goal kick.
In the 53rd minute, Bernd Leno passed to his 1 yard to Sokratis who then felt like it was a good idea to pass to a surrounded Matteo Guendouzi, leading to a Deulofeu interception and game-changing Tom Cleverley goal. This goal swung the momentum of the game completely into Watford’s favour. Once again, individuals’ errors have cost Arsenal points, leaving Emery’s men seven points behind Liverpool, already.
#2 Individual Errors costing Arsenal
Since the start of last season, Arsenal has produced 15 errors leading to goals, the most of any side in the Premier League in that period. In this game, Arsenal produced two of those errors, continuing their trend of shambolic defending. As described earlier, the first goal they conceded came through Sokratis' incompetent decision making. The second, however, came through the rashness Arsenal fans were forewarned about in regard to David Luiz.
The Brazilian was left for dead by Roberto Pereyra before sticking out a leg to bring down the Argentinean in the box. And with that, Arsenal gave away their third penalty of the season, ultimately costing them two points. Many have pointed a finger to Emery’s tactics but at the end of the day, both of Watford’s goals came through errors from his players.
#1 Red-hot Aubameyang
Picture the scene, 21 minutes in, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has barely had a touch in Watford’s box. Then in the blink of an eye, the Gabonese receives the ball from Sead Kolašinac, he swivels and then instantly drills the ball past Ben Foster. Leading up to that point, the Gunners had been second best to a rampant Watford side. However, quality will always prevail and once Aubameyang struck, a second looked increasingly likely.
Eleven minutes later, Arsenal’s marksman added another to his name, finishing off the longest passing sequence for a Premier League goal this season. The Gabonese international’s movement would see him be in the right place to tap in an Ainsley Maitland-Niles cross. The brace takes his tally to five in five appearances for the season, keeping up with the likes of Sergio Aguero and surprisingly, Tammy Abraham.
