Watford 2-3 Arsenal: Gunners survive a late scare to beat relegation strugglers

Mikel Arteta grumbled about defensive structure and lack of control, and a late scare will only enhance his feeling they are far from perfect but his Arsenal team continue to grow, and with them so does confidence that the Champions League is a realistic target.

They simply had too much for poor Watford. Quite how they turned it into such an anxious finish is evidence of their immaturity but Arteta’s team won for the fourth game in a row.

They are well set with games in hand, with no distractions, a settled team and key players in form. None more so than Bukayo Saka, who is created the first and scored the second and personifies a team learning fast because he has thrived since the agony of the missed penalty for England in Euro 2020. 

‘Experiences like that mark your career,’ said Arteta. 

‘What you learn from those difficult moments is much more probably than if you had scored that goal.

‘Bukayo had an experience in the summer not a lot of players will ever have and I think it was great for his career. The football world showed how much they like him and how much they respect him.

‘I don’t think you can get much more than that in football, apart from winning trophies. That was a big boost for him, to realise: ‘in difficult moments, these people are really going to give me support’.’

At the back, they remain fragile and Watford, who contributed greatly to a delightful game lit up by four glorious goals, had enough chances to leave Roy Hodgson with a vague sense of what might have been.

Emmanuel Dennis sank the ball into the Arsenal net within 16 seconds of kick off, only to find he was half a yard offside as he slipped clear of the back four.

Arteta’s side had the lead within five minutes, a finish coolly rolled inside the far post by Martin Odegaard after combining clearly with Saka in a silky move of flicks and feints, albeit with minimum resistance on display.

This would become a theme of the game. Arsenal were defending as if trying to avoid contact when Watford levelled, six minutes later. Dennis and Moussa Sissoko hauled Hodgson’s team forward and Kiko Femenia clipped over a cross from the right.

Cucho Hernandez met it with a spectacular scissor kick, sent flashing past Aaron Ramsdale in the Arsenal goal. As with Odegaard, it was a first goal since December for Hernandez and one laced with technical quality.

Briefly, the game tilted one way then the other. At times, Arsenal appeared in complete control and yet ever vulnerable to Watford’s pace and movement up front. All at a healthy tempo, it made for breezy entertainment.

Perhaps breezier than Hodgson would like. His team were uncharacteristically fast and loose, and the visitors restored their lead on the half hour.

Tom Cleverley stepped in to intercept a pass from Gabriel Magalhaes only to dwell on the ball in a dangerous area, and allow Saka to nip in to take it from him, in a dangerous area. Saka traded passes with Lacazette, collected the return and whipped a shot past Foster.

Seven minutes into the second half they stretched ahead with a third, scored by Gabriel Martinelli after another piercing, one-touch move. Saka’s quick throw passed from Cedric Soares to Odergaard to Lacazette, who nursed it back towards Martinelli and he found the top corner of the net from just outside the penalty box.

Lacazette and Ben White wasted good opportunities to take the game further away from Watford, who refused to give in and continued to cause Arsenal problems at the back.

Dennis fluffed a wonderful chance when a low cross, fizzed square by Femenia found him unmarked at the back post. He miscued completely, slicing his effort high into the air.

Arsenal substitute Nicolas Pepe struck a post before Sissoko did reduce the deficit in the 87th minute, muscling his way into the penalty area and squeezing a low shot past Ramsdale from a tight angle.

Hope washed around Vicarage Road and Samuel Kalu, who came off the bench to make Watford his debut, tested Ramsdale in stoppage time, but there would be no equaliser. Arsenal have their sights fixed on a fight for the top four and a return to the Champions League.