Arsenal had hoped to get back into the flow of Premier League after the international break with a win away at Watford, the division's most out-of-form side.
The Gunners were far from convincing in the first half at Vicarage Road but were able to run up a 2-0 lead through two Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goals.
Unfortunately for the Gabon striker, his impact in the final third was soon undermined by lapses in defence at the other end of the pitch.
However, the final scoreline of 2-2 obscured a far more concerning margin for Arsenal, and not for the first time this season.
The Gunners were out shot by Watford with the Hornets taking 31 shots with 10 on target against the seven with four on target from the away team.
Conceding so many shots against the lowest-ranked team in the English topflight is a worrying statistic.
To put that number further into context, it set a new record for Arsenal as the most shots they have ever faced in a Premier League game.
Not the sort of statistic that Unai Emery will want against his name in his second season since taking over from Arsene Wenger.
What's more, it has become a pattern for the Gunners this season.
In all but one match, their north London derby draw with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal have been out-shot by their opponents.
Arsenal shots vs Arsenal shots faced this season
Arsenal 8-9 Newcastle - (result: Newcastle United 0-1 Arsenal)
Arsenal 15-18 Burnley - (result: Arsenal 2-1 Burnley)
Arsenal 8-25 Liverpool - (result: Liverpool 3-1 Arsenal)
Arsenal 7-31 Watford - (result: Watford 2-2 Arsenal)
Watford went into the match at home to Arsenal having replaced their manager in the international break.
Quique Sanchez Florez was appointed for his second spell with the Hornets on September 7, just over a week before facing the Gunners.
Time may have been against him to get the Premier League's worst team, sitting at the bottom of the table, ready for the match, having replaced Javi Gracia, Watford also set a record of their own.
Not only did they inflict the most shots taken against Arsenal in a single Premier League match for the Gunners, they did so setting their own record for shots taken in the Premier League too.
Arsenal have suffered far more damaging results in recent years such as the 8-2 loss to Manchester United, 5-1 loss to Liverpool and 6-3 loss to Manchester City but in these games their opponents registered notably fewer shots than the Hornets.
It was exactly the sort of performance the Hertfordshire-based club needed to spark a response from their poor start to the season and exactly what Arsenal didn't need as they seek to kick on in the Europa League and the race for top four.
