Sanchez, Ozil shine as Arsenal tops Watford

Desperately needing a result, Arsenal showed little sign of nerves but was helped by an out-of-sorts first-half display from Watford as the Gunners ran out 3-1 winners on Saturday at Vicarage Road.

When Nordin Amrabat clumsily fouled Alexis Sanchez inside the box nine minutes in, allowing Santi Cazorla to score from the spot, it was always going to be an uphill battle, but Watford's woes were compounded by two late first-half goals.

After a brief bright spell from the hosts, Arsenal struck on the break as Theo Walcott delivered a mouth-watering cross for Sanchez to bundle. Watford, half-asleep, then allowed the Chilean to turn provider when Mesut Ozil nodded home unmarked on the stroke of half time.

Watford's brave decision not to merely play for damage limitation led to a well-contested second half. When Roberto Pereyra netted a debut goal 12 minutes after the restart, Arsenal's victory was plunged into doubt for the remaining half hour, in which the Hornets frequently tested Petr Cech.

Arsenal grab the much-needed three points, but a weak second half will subdue the celebrations somewhat. Watford, meanwhile, has just one point out of an available nine and its fixtures aren't about to fall any kinder.