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.
3Forwards
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