Only a victory by a two-goal margin or more was going to be enough to put Arsenal back into second spot and the Gunners did not disappoint with a 3-0 away win at Watford.
Troy Deeney gave Arsenal a few problems at the back in the first half, so it was no fait accompli. Indeed, the scorer of the last goal, Aaron Ramsey complained afterwards about the dry pitch which made the task even more difficult. Although he'd rather play centrally than on the right, Ramsey must have been hugely relieved to score his first Arsenal goal of the season.
Predictably, it was Alexis Sanchez who set the ball rolling with the opener. You have to admire the Chilean's never-say-die approach. It looked a definite penalty on Mesut Ozil, who was felled in the area, but Alexis took matters into his own hands by tucking the loose ball away.
The second goal was smashed in by substitute Olivier Giroud, with almost his first kick of the game. Ozil was instrumental again with an exquisite cutback. The Gunners really needed that goal.
Theo Walcott wasn't at his most effective, as a lot of Arsenal balls were being pumped up high to him. If you want evidence, then what about the chance that fell to Theo, which he headed on target. Clearly, this was a game made for Giroud, so it was a good decision by Arsene Wenger to bring the big striker on. You can't always thread the ball through the eye of a needle when the opposition defence is like non-porous fabric.
Wenger does not know when he will stop being the Arsenal manager, despite recent speculation suggesting that he will leave when his current contract ends. A post-Wenger Arsenal is quite hard to imagine, which is why many believe that someone should be groomed as his successor to make a handover seamless. If Steve Bould is to be the new manager in the future, perhaps it would be advisable to let him deal with the press occasionally. At least, it would take some of the pressure of Wenger, who has been tetchy after poor results in the Champions League. However, Wenger must have enjoyed facing the cameras after a clean sheet at Watford and three more points.
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