Arsenal 1 Watford 2: Hornets’ ex-Spurs contingent damage Gunners’ title bid

Watford beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium to leave the Gunners’ hopes of a first league title since 2004 hanging by a thread.

The FA Cup fourth round exit to Millwall may allow them to now focus on maintaining their status as top flight club, but they will find it tough against an Arsenal side who look imperious at home.

“Now we have 16 games and I want a team that for 16 games fights for every ball and helps us move up the table”. Welbeck, who is making a comeback from a knee injury, scored a brace within the first 22 minutes of the first half.

Nigeria global Alex Iwobi is another to be recalled by Arsene Wenger, with the 20-year-old only appearing as a second-half substitute on Saturday. David Luiz looks like a different player with more freedom as a libero in a back three.

The Frenchman felt his side responded well after the break but although Alex Iwobi pulled one back it was not enough to stop Arsenal suffering their first home league defeat since they lost to Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season. With Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all drawing it was, however, a missed chance to cement their place in the top-four.

“I’m not sure happy is the right word, but I’m proud because the boys did outstanding things against a really good side”, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said.

“You don’t make 47 points in the Premier League after 23 games if you have no physical power”.

The seating area in the West Stand means it’ll be hard for Wenger to head back and forth from his seat to the dressing room to deliver his pre-match and half-time team talks, as well as fulfilling his compulsory media obligations. I thought that we were brilliant in the second half.

They are the final hope of keeping Chelsea in check, the possibility of finishing this challenging week with a lead as great as it now is will have Roman Abramovich sitting smugly, but it does not leave much enjoyment in the Premier League title race for any neutral. Unfortunately, we have a set of players who believe they are stars but forget that in order to be seen as such you need to play like them.