Full Time: Watford 2-1 Arsenal
Arsenal failed to take anything from their trip to the Vicarage Road as they were handed a shock 2-1 defeat by Watford earlier in the day. Troy Deeney managed to convert a penalty in the second half to cancel out Arsenals’ lead which was given by Per Mertesacker, who headed home from a corner in the first half. Tom Cleverly derailed the Gunners late in the game by scoring from close range to give his side all three points.
Arsenal created enough chances to win the game but did not take full advantage as they faced another loss in the Premier League.
Here’s how the Arsenal players fared on the night:
Petr Cech (7)
Solid all night and gave Watford nothing in the air, dominating his box. Unlucky to not keep a clean sheet.
Laurent Koscielny (5)
Stuck to his task well on the right-hand side of the backline but failed to do enough to help his side take home a victory.
Per Mertesacker (5)
Was troubled by Watford’s pace and directness all night but scored the only Arsenal goal on the night to give them a solitary point.
Nacho Monreal (5)
Did well to keep the danger to minimum from his flank but should have done more to stop Cleverly’s winner.
Hector Bellerin (4)
Unlucky to concede a penalty but was constantly out of position and failed to have an impact in the final third as well.
Granit Xhaka (5)
Helped open the scoring and kept the midfield tight but was nowhere to be seen in the buildup to the late goal that changed the game.
Mohamed Elneny (5)
Kept the ball rolling and won it back a number of times but he was not the midfield presence Arsenal needed on the night.
Sead Kolasinac (5)
Was often beaten on the flank, like his fellow teammate was on the other flank, as Arsenal invited pressure late in the game.
Alex Iwobi (6)
The brightest player in Arsenal’s attack, Iwobi should have scored when it was 1-0 but was a constant threat to Watford’s goal.
Danny Welbeck (5)
Put in the hard yards all night but did more in his own half than he did in the attacking third, failing to get on the score sheet.
Alexandre Lacazette (5)
Found no space or time on the ball near the goal but had chances to run at Watford’s defence, most of which he squandered.
Subs:
Mesut Ozil (5)
Came on and immediately created a chance for Iwobi. Should have scored just before the penalty was awarded and will rue his miss.
Olivier Giroud (5)
Replaced Lacazette with just over 20 minutes play and had just one half-chance to get Arsenal back on track.
Rob Holding (N/A)
Had just five minutes on the pitch and saw Arsenal concede a late goal, which, in all fairness, should have been dealt better.