That’s it for today’s blog. I’ll leave you with Dave Hytner’s report on a thrilling match. Night!
Post-match chat
Tom Cleverley
“At half-time we’d have taken that, but with five minutes to go there was only one team who was going to win it, so we’ve mixed emotions. Arsenal were a bit tentative; we smelt that a bit, and we said at half-time that if we got the next goal we had a massive chance. We can definitely build on that second half. We know we can compete with anyone, especially at home.
Etienne Capoue
“We’re both disappointed and happy. We reacted very well, but we could have won today. We played well in the first 20 minutes and we knew we would get more chances in the second half. We gave everything today – we are so tired. We know we can do it, and this is good for the future.”
It’s hard to know where to start with that match. Arsenal led 2-0 at half-time after two lovely goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But Watford were relentless in the second half, and got back in the game through Tom Cleverley after some laughable defending from Arsenal. Roberto Pereyra’s late penalty brought them level, and both teams had chances to win it. It was pulsating entertainment.
Full time: Watford 2-2 Arsenal
Peep peep! A fine, uplifting game ends with honours even. Quique Sanchez Flores is back; so are Watford. They were wonderful.
90+2 min: Vital save from Leno! Doucoure almost scored the winner after a fantastic piece of play. He surged forward from deep inside his own half, beating Sokratis with a lovely bit of skill on the halfway line before finding Sarr on the right. Sarr fizzed a precise low cross to pick out Doucoure, whose sidefooted shot was smothered by the plunging Leno. This is tremendous stuff!
90+1 min It’s like a basketball game now. Willock misses a great chance to play Aubameyang in at one end; then Cleverley’s shot is blocked at the other; and finally Capoue is booked for stopping Arsenal’s counter-counter-counter-attack.
90 min An abysmal pass from Xhaka on the edge of the Watford area allows the home side to break. Doucoure’s vicious shot is blocked by Torreira. It’s breathless stuff.
89 min Nelson wins the ball off Sarr and buys Arsenal a bit of time with a break down the left. Eventually Aubameyang’s cross is miscontrolled by the stretching Xhaka, in a lot of space at the far post. A better touch there would have given him a great chance.
87 min Janmaat shoots well wide from the edge of the area. Watford have had 28 attempts on goal to Arsenal’s seven.
86 min Doucoure’s shot is blocked and comes to Cleverley, whose cracking rising drive is headed over by David Luiz. I think that was going in. Leno certainly wouldn’t have got to it.
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85 min Arsenal are all over the place. They are hanging on for dear life.
84 min So close from Deulofeu! Cleveley’s shot was blocked by Sokratis and rebounded to Deulofeu, who drilled a low shot this far wide of the far post.
83 min Only one side looks like winning this game, and it’s not Romania. Pereyra’s cross is headed away by David Luiz, but Arsenal cannot get out.
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Pereyra passed the ball low to his left, with Leno going the wrong way. Watford deserve that for a stirring performance.
GOAL! Watford 2-2 Arsenal (Pereyra 81 pen)
Pereyra scores!
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VAR check: it’s a penalty. It was just inside the area. Pereyra changed direction nicely, and David Luiz dangled a leg as only he can.
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PENALTY TO WATFORD!
David Luiz has fouled Pereyra right on the line of the area.
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79 min Arsenal enjoy a bit of respite in the Watford half. Eventually, Torreira rattles a snapshot from 12 yards that is beaten away by Foster.
78 min Another Watford substitution: Daryl Janmaat replaces Jose Holebas.
76 min A comedy of errors almost leads to an equaliser. Nelson leads an Arsenal break, only for the ball to hit his heel and fall for Doucoure. He plays it wide to Sarr, whose low cross is miskicked by Kabasele near the penalty spot. That was a chance.
75 min Watford deserve an equaliser. Sarr’s stinging shot from long-range hits a defender and goes behind for another corner.
72 min A rare Arsenal attack. Pepe does well to pick out Nelson, whose low shot from the edge of the box is comfortably saved by Foster.
71 min Arsenal’s final change: Reiss Nelson replaces Mesut Ozil, whose devastating pass created Aubameyang’s second goal.
70 min Technically, Watford’s goal shouldn’t have counted, because Deulofeu’s foot was in the Arsenal area when the goalkick was taken. Apparently VAR can’t get involved with restarts. Quite right, too; it’s not like it led to a goal or anything.
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69 min “When,” says Ian Copestake, “is Will Hughes going to complete his move to Liverpool?”
68 min Deulofeu comes infield, past Maitland-Niles yet again, and hits another good shot that takes a deflection and spins wide of the far post.
67 min Guendouzi goes off for Arsenal, with Lucas Torreira replacing him.
67 min Deulofeu has been fantastic today. He starts another move that almost ends with an equaliser when Femenia’s cross is flicked behind his standing foot and wide of the far post by Pereyra.
65 min: Fine play from Sarr! Deulofeu teased Guendouzi on the left of the area and played a short pass into Sarr, who had his back to goal. He stabbed the ball around David Luiz with his first touch, turned and hit a volley that drifted wide of the far post. The shot was mishit but the first touch was lovely.
63 min Deulofeu wins a corner for Watford. Before it is taken, Will Hughes is replaced by Roberto Pereyra.
60 min It’s all Watford now, and Femenia blasts over from the edge of the area. Arsenal make their first change, with Joe Willock replacing Dani Ceballos.
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58 min Another fine effort from Deulofeu, who zips infield from the left and curls a low shot that goes a few yards wide of the far post. That means a goalkick for Arsenal, and another chance for Watford.
56 min Kiko Femenia is booked for pulling Ozil’s shirt to stop an Arsenal attack.
55 min Watford make a change, with the record signing Ismaila Sarr replacing Andre Gray. Moments later, the superb Deulofeu cracks a shot from the left of the box that is comfortably saved by Leno.
What an absurd goal. Leno took a goalkick to Sokratis in the six-yard box. He telegraphed a straight pass to Guendouzi on the edge of the area that was intercepted by Deulofeu. His touch diverted the ball to Cleverley, who rammed a low shot past Leno from 15 yards.
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GOAL! Watford 1-2 Arsenal (Cleverley 53)
It’s been coming. Arsenal have been playing silly buggers in their own area all day, and now they’ve been punished.
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52 min Doucoure, teed up nicely by Hughes, slices a shot miles wide from 20 yards. In fact, it’s gone for a throw-in.
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49 min Ozil finds Xhaka, who blasts over the bar from 35 yards.
47 min Guendouzi loses the ball in a very dangerous area again, this time playing a square pass straight to Gray in the Arsenal area. He’s saved by Xhaka, who comes around the side of Gray to make a brilliant tackle. Moments later, Hughes cracks a first-time shot over the bar from 17 yards.
46 min Peep peep! Watford begin the second half, so they do.
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Half-time reading
Half-time: Watford 0-2 Arsenal
Peep peep! Arsenal lead through two brilliant goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The first was an expert finish; the second was a team effort inspired by Mesut Ozil. The scoreline is harsh on Watford, who started very brightly and have looked dangerous on the break.
45+2 min Holebas and Guendouzi are booked.
45+1 min It’s all kicking off here! Holebas challenged Pepe near the halfway line, and suddenly players from both sides appeared to start a shoving match.
45 min Deulofeu, who has been excellent, charges into the area at pace only to run out of room after beating David Luiz.
44 min “The relationship between Ozil and Emery is a nuanced one, I think,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Mesut: ‘I don’t care if you don’t want me (but watch this!)’; Unai: ‘I can’t afford you, I don’t want you (but look at that!)’.”
It fascinates me, given all type of criticism both men receive, that one of Ozil’s biggest fans was Jose Mourinho.
43 min Kolasinac is booked for an oafish lunge at Hughes.
43 min “The NBC feed announcers are trashing the Watford back line,” says Mary Waltz, “but I think it’s more Arsenal quality then poor performance by Watford.”
They were two excellent goals, I thought.
41 min A win today would take Arsenal to third in the table, behind Manchester City on goal difference.
39 min Femenia wins a corner for Watford, who are still game despite the double blow from Aubameyang. David Luiz heads it away.
35 min A double chance for Watford! Guendouzi accepts a goalkick from Leno on the edge of the area, turns and loses the ball. Deulofeu whaps a low shot that Leno can’t hold, and Gray puts the rebound into the side-netting.
35 min Femenia’s cross is volleyed wide by Hughes, who got in front of David Luiz at the near post.
34 min Watford have played really well, and they’re 2-0 down.
It was made brilliantly by Ozil, who sliced the Watford defence open with a short, stabbed pass down the inside-right channel to find Maitland-Niles. He slid the ball across the face to give Aubameyang an open goal. The pass from Ozil, a sudden thrust of the dagger that took three defenders out of the game, was delicious.
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GOAL! Watford 0-2 Arsenal (Aubameyang 32)
This is a beautiful goal!
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30 min A dangerous Arsenal break is led by Ozil, who just underhits an attempted through pass to Pepe. A perfectly weighted pass would have put Pepe through on goal.
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27 min Arsenal have played with greater confidence since the goal. Good game, this.
25 min That was almost 2-0. Ceballos found Ozil, whose deflected cross just evaded Aubameyang on the six-yard line.
23 min That goal was an affront to the run of play - Watford had been much the better side.
Goal given! Hughes lost the ball near the halfway line after a tackle from Ceballos, who got a slight touch on the ball. Kolasinic picked up the loose ball and surged into space before sliding a short pass to Aubameyang in the area. He controlled the ball on the run, swivelled in the same movement and lashed a superb low shot past Foster.
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GOAL! Watford 0-1 Arsenal (Aubameyang 21)
Aubameyang has had a touch now - he’s put Arsenal ahead with a brilliant finish. Watford are asking for a VAR check after a challenge on Hughes near the halfway line.
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20 min Arsenal’s first effort. Guendouzi wins a 50/50 with Capoue and wafts a long pass to Pepe on the right. He moves infield, 25 yards from goal, and hits a left-footed shot that drifts a few yards wide of the far post.
18 min Arsenal haven’t offered much in attack as yet. Aubameyang has barely touched the ball, while Ozil has just been robbed brusquely by Deulofeu. That sums up the first 18 minutes.
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15 min This has been a superb start from Watford, who have looked really sharp on the counter-attack.
13 min: Holebas misses an excellent chance! Deulofeu wriggled past Maitland-Niles in the area and stabbed the ball back to the underlapping Holebas in the space on the edge of the area. He opened his body in an attempt to steer a first-time shot into the top corner, but he mistimed it and the ball went high and wide.
12 min Cleverley’s speculative curler from long range is comfortably held by Leno.
11 min Deulofeu has started very well on the left for Watford. So has Cleverley, who forces a fine save from Leno with a fierce rising drive from 20 yards. Leno leapt to his left and fingertipped it over the bar.
8 min Holebas fouls Maitland-Niles just outside the area on the right. Ozil’s inswinging free-kick is headed away from inside the six-yard box by Dawson.
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6 min Deulofeu cuts inside Guendouzi, 20 yards out, and shapes a curler towards the far post. Leno fumbles a fairly routine take but manages to grab it at the second attempt.
6 min Cleverley’s fast, low cross towards Gray is hoofed away at the near post. Watford look bright and breezy.
3 min It’s been a frantic start to the game, and Watford look full of the joys of a new manager.
2 min Arsenal have started with a midfield diamond, as expected. Deulofeu scurries past one of those midfielders, Guendouzi, after a nice bit of skill on the halfway line.
1 min Peep peep! Arsenal kick off from left to right. They are in red; Watford are wearing yellow and black.
It’s a beautiful afternoon at Vicarage Road, and the returning Quique Sanchez Flores receives a huge cheer from the home fans. There’s a cracking atmosphere.
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“Is it statistically weird that only five teams in the Premier League have a positive goal difference,” says Matt Dobbing. “Appreciate it’s only five games in.”
A little bit - at the same stage of the last two seasons there were seven teams with a positive goal difference.
The pre-match thoughts of Quique Sanchez Flores
“We need to be solid in defence, because we are playing against a very fast team with talent and skill. We need to be compact and well-organised, and to take our chances at the other end. We need to be brave with and without the ball. I am really happy to be back at Watford. I feel that I am in the right place again.”
Bournemouth are beating Everton 3-1 in the early Premier League game. You can follow the last few minutes with Will Unwin.
Team news
Watford (4-2-3-1) Foster; Kiko Femenia, Dawson, Kabasele, Holebas; Doucoure, Capoue; Hughes, Cleverley, Deulofeu; Gray.
Substitutes: Gomes, Foulquier, Janmaat Mariappa, Chalobah, Sarr, Pereyra.
Arsenal (4-D-2) Leno; Maitland-Niles, Sokratis, David Luiz, Kolasinac; Xhaka; Guendouzi, Ceballos; Ozil; Pepe, Aubameyang.
Substitutes: Martinez, Chambers, Saka, Torreira, Willock, Martinelli, Nelson.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
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Preamble
Hello. Arsenal were once the toughest visitors in the land. Twice in three years, from 2001-04, they went through a whole Premier League season without losing away from home - a staggering achievement that is sometimes forgotten because of their Invincible season.
The memory of that rugged, brilliant team made their decline under Arsene Wenger even more acute; by the end, they were often a mess away from home. That’s improved slightly under Unai Emery, but Arsenal’s away form is still their weak point. They are consistently good at the Emirates - only Manchester City have collected more points at home in the last five seasons - so their work on the road will probably decide whether they end a barren run of four whole years without finishing in the top four.
Watford are starting again, again, after sacking Javi Gracia and replacing him with Quique Sanchez Flores. It would be unfair to call Watford a sacking club; by going back to Flores, the man they got rid of in 2016, they’ve taken things to a whole new level.
Kick off is at 4.30pm.
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