Arsenal had to wait until the 81st minute to open the scoring against Watford, but ended up winning the match 2-0, for a seventh consecutive victory.

In order to continue their ascent up the table, Arsenal had to overcome fourth-placed Watford at the Emirates Stadium. It wasn’t going to be easy, as the visitors were full of confidence, and only lost out to Tottenham Hotspur on penalties in midweek.

Watford proved equal to Arsenal’s pressure for much of the match, keeping chances out and getting many of their own. Fortunately, the hosts had Rob Holding and the goalkeepers to thank for keeping a clean sheet until the final 10 minutes.

At that point, a bit of fortune meant Unai Emery’s side took the lead, from an own goal. They secured the win not long afterwards, with a Mesut Özil second.

Let’s have a look at how the players did individually.

Goalkeeper and Defence

Petr Cech 6

Watford called Cech into action a couple of times in the first half, and the goalkeeper was equal to the task. For the most part, he didn’t have too much to do, and his passing was a bit lax. Then, he picked up an injury just before half-time.

Hector Bellerin 7

Bellerin continues to run the right-hand side of the pitch completely on his own. It’s making it very difficult for him to make anything happen, even when he has 93% pass accuracy, like on Saturday. It’s strange that Emery hasn’t tried Mkhitaryan and Bellerin on the right again after they created so much against Chelsea.

On this occasion, Bellerin did enough to keep Watford out but not much more.

Shkodran Mustafi 6

This was a very standard Mustafi performance. He was excellent in the air, winning five aerials, but poor on the ball, with a lower pass accuracy than any other defender. He made a couple of interceptions, but no tackles. Watford players found ways to get in behind him fairly easily, and his teammates had to bail him out.

Rob Holding 8.5

Meanwhile, Holding was fantastic. He was even better in the air than Mustafi, winning 71% of his duels against tough opposition. He completed almost 90% of his passes, made more interceptions than his German partner, and made an impressive block in the second half.

The only negative was that Holding let Isaac Success get the wrong side of him for one very good chance. Other than that he proved that he’s a worthy contender for Emery’s starting eleven.

Nacho Monreal 7.5

Like the two centre-backs, Monreal had to do a lot of work in the air, which he did excellently. The Spaniard also had a lot to do going forward and dealt with that side of the game well too. His performance was very good considering it was his fourth match in 10 games.

Midfield

Granit Xhaka 8

Xhaka had a very good game, even if it’s mostly gone unnoticed. He created more chances than any of his teammates and completed many more passes than them too. The midfielder ran the game as he often does, so we can forgive one or two misplaced passes that led to nothing.

Only Lucas Torreira made more tackles, only the defenders won more aerials and no one completed more dribbles. That’s not to mention his stinging shot, which Foster did well to keep out.

Lucas Torreira 7.5

Torreira also did well, particularly as he had to carry a yellow card for much of the game. As mentioned, he led the Arsenal team in tackles and made a number of interceptions and clearances as well. He wasn’t quite as effective as Xhaka in the build-up play, but as long as he’s doing his job defensively that’s alright.

Aaron Ramsey 5.5

Ramsey made just 16 accurate passes before his substitution. Compare that to Xhaka’s 80, Torreira’s 60, or Özil’s 57. What’s more, he was dispossessed on four separate occasions, more than anyone else. The Welshman didn’t create any chances or have any shots of his own.

The only good work he did was in winning a couple of tackles. He was an easy choice for Emery’s first substitution (excluding the one he was forced into by Cech’s injury) and didn’t do much to end talk that he’s unsettled at Arsenal.

Forwards

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 6

Aubameyang struggled to get into the game, like Ramsey, but he did manage to create one chance at least. Other than that it was a very quiet game from the forward.

He improved once he switched to the right-hand side, and perhaps Emery will now consider playing him there more often, with Iwobi on the left and Özil in the middle. It didn’t last long though, as he came off for Welbeck not long after the change.

Mesut Özil 7.5

That’s three goals in four games now for Özil, and he scored this one wearing the captain’s armband. The German had to pick up a lot of Ramsey’s slack and ended up almost playing two positions as a result. Still not the 29-year-old’s most creative game, as he only made one chance. Nonetheless a very solid performance.

Alexandre Lacazette 7.5

For the most part, this was actually a great game from Lacazette. He should’ve had a penalty early on, he got himself in some fantastic goalscoring positions all game and provided the assist for Özil late on. It’s just a shame he had a real off day with his finishing. Four shots without a goal is a rare event for the Frenchman.

Click ‘Next’ for the substitutes

Substitutes

Bernd Leno 8

Leno made an excellent save to deny Deeney and had to make a number of high claims after coming off the bench. His passing was an improvement on Cech’s but he knew when to boot it long as well. Overall, the German was a reliable figure at the back.

Alex Iwobi 8

Despite playing less than half as many minutes as Ramsey, Iwobi only made four fewer passes. That was a sign at how much easier he found it to get into the game and make things happen, which is exactly what he did.

It was the 22-year-old’s cross that Cathcart turned into his own net for 1-0. Then he was similarly involved in the second goal, playing a perfectly weighted pass for Lacazette to cut back for Özil. Like Holding, Iwobi’s playing his way into Emery’s team.

Danny Welbeck 7

Just like Iwobi, Welbeck played a part in the second goal that won’t go down in the goal or assist stats. He won the ball back with a tackle-turned-pass that set the Nigeria international away in the first place. Arsenal needed a bit of Welbeck’s physicality to grind out the win, which he provided right on cue.