Can Watford do the unthinkable?
Is it time to start considering Watford for a top 4 spot? I'm not saying they are going to finish that high, but few would argue their threat is a serious one. Late goals from Troy Deeney and Tom Cleverley helped them to a majestic comeback to beat Arsenal 2-1 at The Hawthorns.
Many experts will say it's too early, and it is way too early; they will also say there's no chance that a club like Watford could end up in the top 4. Remember Leicester? Nobody gave them a hope in hell of qualifying for the Champions League, even after Christmas they were still written off. We all know what happened there.
An embarrassing defeat for Arsenal or a sign of the times?
The win saw them leap over Arsenal into 4th place, the highest they have been in the Premier League era, after Arsenal appeared to be on course to take all 3 points.
It was an uninspired first period from both sides with chances few and far between. Watford came closest to opening the scoring on 18 minutes when Doucouré jigged his way into the area to fire across goal, but the ball was too fast for the diving Roberto Pereyra to get full contact with it and the ball glanced wide.
Per Mertesacker puts Arsenal 1 up
Arsenal were the better team, however, and duly took the lead on 38 minutes. It came from Aresnal's first corner of the game. Granit Xhaka swung the ball in and Per Mertesacker rose above Tom Cleverley to head the ball into the net. It was Mertesacker's first Premier League start for 18 months and his first league goal since December 2013 and it justified Wenger's decision to include him from the start.
The second half was slightly better with Arsenal seeming bouyed by their lead. And it took a stunning save from Heurelho Gomez to stop the Gunners doubling their lead.
Heurelho Gomes made some fine saves to deny Arsenal
Mesut Ozil put a delicate ball through for Alex Iwobi, and with only the keeper to beat the Nigerian international placed it to the far bottom corner only for Gomez to get down and somehow how palm it wide. It wasn't the only time the Watford keeper impressed.
A few minutes later Gomez denied Mesut Ozil with another excellent stop. The German was through on goal with only the keeper to beat, but as has been his form since coming to Arsenal, the German star fluffed his lines and man of the match Gomez pulled off another fine stop.
Mesut Ozil failed to deliver yet again
Had that gone in, it would have been 2-0 and game over. It didn't, and Watford went up the other end and equalised within a minute. A Troy Deeney penalty brought the game level, and with 20 minutes remaining, all was to play for.
The goal enkindled Watford, and finally the game began to heat up. Both teams could have won in the last 20 minutes, but it was Tom Cleverley in the dying minutes who snatched all 3 points for the hornets.
Troy Deeney inspired Watford after coming on as a 2nd half sub
Troy Deeney, who had been the instigator of the comeback since his inclusion, caused chaos in the box and his blocked effort rebounded towards the penalty spot, and with the charging Tom Cleverley first to the ball, he blasted it into the roof of the net and sent the home fans into euphoria.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was far from happy and intimated the blame on his players for the loss. “We missed many chances to kill the game,” he said. “At 1-1, there was no need to panic. On their second goal I believe that we can only look at ourselves.”
Arsene Wenger has work to do to inspire his Gunners
But the reality is, it's looking like another season where Arsenal can only hope for a top 4 place at best. But with last season's failure and with the emergence of Watford as a contender, getting into the Champions League will not be easy.
Watford Boss Marco Silva is keeping his feet on the ground
Watford boss Marco Silva, who won many admirers last season by almost saving Hull from the drop, isn't getting carried away, however. "I don't change what I said at the start of the season," he said. "We have one goal, to remain as a Premier League club. It's too early to change."
Photo Sources:
www.365dm.com
www.arsenal.com
www.bbci.co.uk
www.dailymail.co.uk
www.ghanasoccernet.com
www.telegraph.co.uk
