Goals from Shkodran Mustafi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought Arsenal victory over Watford.
Below are four talking points from the Emirates Stadium.
1. Arsenal utilise Aubameyang’s speed in behind
Arsenal have not always made the best use of Aubemeyang’s qualities since the striker was signed from Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window. This was particularly noticeable in the League Cup final defeat by Manchester City, when the Gabon international was barely involved from the first minute to the last.
Sunday’s match was much better in that regard. Aubameyang probably should have done better with a one-on-one opportunity in the second minute, but it was promising for Arsenal that the forward had been played through on goal by a fine Mesut Ozil pass. When Aubameyang did add his name to the scoresheet in the second half, it again came from a well-weighted though ball, this time played by Mkhitaryan.
Aubameyang is an excellent striker who cost the Gunners a substantial amount in the winter window. Arsene Wenger’s side must continue to play to his strengths going forward.
2. Watford give good account of themselves
The scoreline may hint at a comfortable afternoon for Arsenal, but that was not the case for periods of the game. Granted, the hosts did create numerous chances and could even have won by a healthier margin, but Watford had opportunities of their own and an away goal at any stage would have significantly changed the mood around the stadium.
The Hornets’ best spell of the match came in the final 10 minutes of the first half, when they pinned Arsenal back in their own half and went close on more than one occasion. Even after falling two goals behind, Javi Gracia’s charges were afforded a brilliant chance to get back into the game from the penalty spot, but Troy Deeney was denied by Petr Cech.
This was a disappointing – if expected – result from a Watford perspective, but there were still positives to take from their display.
3. Malaise around Emirates has not cleared yet
There were not quite as many empty seats at the Emirates on Sunday as there were for the loss to Manchester City last week, but the official attendance of 59,131 still felt wide of the mark. And while Mustafi’s early goal helped ease the tension, there were still periods of unrest when Watford were on top.
The Premier League clearly means very little for the remainder of Arsenal’s season, with the top four now out of reach. This was nevertheless an important triumph to prevent the atmosphere around the club deteriorating even further, but there is still a long way to go before the malaise in the red-and-white half of north London clears.
4. Doucoure will be a wanted man in the summer
Abdoulaye Doucoure has been one of the standout performers outside the Premier League’s big six this season, and his showing at the Emirates was further evidence of his quality. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have all been linked with the midfielder in recent months, and it would not be at all surprising to see him targeted by several big clubs in the summer.
Doucoure is an all-action player who contributes to every phase of the game. He strode forward in possession here and at times won the ball high up the pitch, while he also demonstrated some excellent footwork when weaving his way past multiple opponents in the Arsenal box in the first half. On top of that, no Watford player made more passes than the Frenchman, who completed 93.5 percent of his attempts.
