Saka imperious as Gunners continue to rack up valuable points at Vicarage Road

Watford 2 Arsenal 3  
Premier League  
Sunday 6th March 2022 2pm   

To put this game into context, Watford are in the relegation zone, and had lost their previous seven home league matches. Given that, if Arsenal are serious about returning to the Champions League in a season that they have plenty of time to prepare for games, this really was a fixture they had to take maximum points from. 

They were the dominant team over the 90 minutes, but only really in terms of possession and enjoying a two goal lead for much of the second half. Watford had plenty of chances in what was a very open game – too open in the last 30 minutes. This might have worked for Arsenal in giving them the opportunity to score more, but I’d have preferred them to have contained Watford more instead. 

Ultimately it doesn’t matter if matches are one by one goal or more, as long as they are won, and Arsenal have picked up 12 points from their last four outings, by a one goal margin each time. That’ll do. Nonetheless, although going forward, they were at times imperious, a side with better attackers than Watford would have scored more than twice in this game. The Gunners’ approach would surely have been a little different though. Horses for courses and all that. 

Cedric has started in every game in the four match run, and the side is generally settled. Tomiyasu looks a safer bet, but yesterday the backup option did ok, and played a role in two of the goals. I’m uncertain how ill Emile Smith Rowe is, but he must have been wiped out to miss two games in 11 days. 

As for the away side’s red shorts, I am still trying to understand the logic behind the visitors not wearing their normal white ones. The socks, I can live with on the light and dark argument (as if anyone is watching the game in black and white), but white shorts would have created more contrast with Watford’s black. Maybe the kit man just loaded up the wrong crate or something. Weird. Arsenal always look a bit strange wearing red shorts. 

As the last minute win against Wolves was a week and a half before, fatigue was not going to be a factor, although it felt like the Gunners were sleeping in the opening few seconds as Watford found the net. Fortunately, their forward Dennis was offside, but it was an indication of what was to come. A game with a hatful of chances, Roy Hodgson’s side getting more of them on target.

The opening goal came very soon after as a result of wonderful combination work between Saka and Odegaard on the right side of the attack. The latter’s penetrating run is what we need to see more of and it was good to see he is making this a more regular part of his game. A very sweet goal, although we were to see even better soon enough. 

And that includes the other end, because the equalizer was – if you are a neutral – a thing of beauty. It would be churlish to fault Arsenal’s defending for this one. There was an overload on the left side of defence, but Martinelli was in position and can’t be faulted, and when a bicycle kick like that goes in, the focus has to be on the brilliance of the finish. 

It does feel like no Gunners game is complete without their more defensive midfielders shooting high, wide and definitely not handsome. Partey had two such efforts, Xhaka one – and it was good to get those out of the way. Given Lacazette’s limited return in the goals column, it would be handy to have more goals from midfield, but fortunately the young attacking trio all stepped up yesterday, and the captain assisted for two of the goals.

The first of these saw Arsenal re-establish the lead just before the half hour mark. Credit to Saka for dispossessing a not so clever Cleverly and getting a return ball from Laca that he finished sweetly. 

It should have been easy street after that, especially given Saka was virtually unplayable, but things like Ramsdale’s distribution meant that at no point did this become the training ground exercise it should have, even when Arteta’s side went two goals up.

The third goal was the pick of the bunch for the visitors, with Arteta’s speed in the dugout enabling a quick throw that left Watford’s players chasing shadows. Credit here to Cedric for making a quick run to take the ball from Saka’s throw, and the ball then went from Odegaard to Lacazette and Martinelli before the Brazilian’s excellent finish. 

Game over, surely? Maybe not. Cedric was actually a little lucky only to get a yellow for a blatant elbow, and Watford’s more legal aggression made the last 40 minutes far less comfortable than it needed to be, their lack of composure in the opposition box ultimately costing them.

Arteta tried fresh legs in the form of Pepe and Nketiah, with the latter hitting the post, but rather than making it 4-1, Arsenal faced the final minutes hanging on at 3-2 after poor defensive work by Ben White, who the traveling support have adapted the Ian Wright chant for. Arteta reacted to the goal by removing Odegaard and adding Holding to the defensive numbers, which did the job as his players got over the line in spite of five minutes injury time which ultimately was closer to seven due to further stoppages.

It was a case of job done due to the brilliance of Arsenal’s goals. It was also a reminder that you cannot take any result in the Premier League for granted and that you have to turn up in every game and remain focused. The club are in a great position in the table now, in terms of controlling their own destiny, with a bit of a margin for dropping the odd cheap point - just not too often. I’d accept five or six points from the next three matches, as Liverpool is one of them, even if Arsenal are at home. The key though, will be beating the teams some way below them in the table, the sides that are not in competition for a top four place. The Gunners have eight such games – a potential 24 points. Plus another five to pick up what they can against Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Spurs and West Ham. With 48 points in the bag and 39 points to play for, you’d imagine a finishing total of 72 would be enough for Champions League qualification. It’s there for the taking, the team just need to win the matches they know they can, starting with Leicester next weekend.

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