Mike Dean’s face might well go down as one of the highlights of this awful Arsenal season and having to wait until the end of July for it was almost worth going through everything else.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates scoring a penalty during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Watford FC at Emirates Stadium on July 26, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Rui Vieira/Pool via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal celebrates scoring a penalty during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Watford FC at Emirates Stadium on July 26, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Rui Vieira/Pool via Getty Images)

Arsenal’s game against Watford was only a few minutes old when Alexandre Lacazette was bundled over in the box.

It was a clear penalty but Mike Dean, as he tends to do with Arsenal, waved play on.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 26: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal is fouled leading to a penalty during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Watford FC at Emirates Stadium on July 26, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 26: Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal is fouled leading to a penalty during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Watford FC at Emirates Stadium on July 26, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Not so fast, said Jon Moss on VAR, who then made us all wait about four minutes while he ordered Dean to give the penalty after he got back from getting a sandwich.

The man from the Wirral obliged.

But he wasn’t happy about it.

mike deans face

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored is 27th career goal from the spot (he’s missed 9), taking him to 19 league goals for the season.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1287405177855774721

Only Martin Atkinson (7) has refereed more Arsenal games than Mike Dean (6) this season but he couldn’t overcome Jon Moss’s love for us.

That was Arsenal’s third Premier League penalty of the season. Manchester United have had 14, City 11.

It was also the earliest Arsenal have been awarded a penalty in a league game since 1999.

Dean wasn’t in frame when Kieran Tierney made it two-nil with his first goal for the club.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1287409603911835648

He also wasn’t spotted when Auba made it 3-0 with his 20th league goal, moving him to within one of the Golden Boot.

Tierney grabbed an assist for that one with his throw in.

https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1287412148046618624

Dean got a chance to smile again when he pointed to the spot for a foul by David Luiz on Danny Welbeck. Troy Deeny stepped up to make it 3-1 before the break.

As for Luiz, that was the fifth he’s given away this season, a Premier League record.