Arsenal has picked up their first win of the new Premier League season courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
First-half strikes from Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil all but secured the points for the Gunners by half time, and Watford could only muster a Roberto Pereyra consolation in reply to leave the Hornets still winless under Walter Mazzarri.
The visitors went into the match having won all six of their previous Premier League meetings with Watford, and it took them less than 10 minutes to make the first step towards maintaining that 100 per cent record.
Ozil, making his first start of the season, clipped a ball into the box for Sanchez, only for Nordin Amrabat to clatter into the Chilean and leave referee Kevin Friend little choice but to point to the spot.
Cazorla stepped up to take it, and the Spaniard calmly sent his penalty down the middle to end a 41-match goal drought and give his side the lead.
Despite Arsenal’s dominance, they almost gifted Watford an equaliser moments later when Laurent Koscielny’s attempted interception saw him turn Amrabat’s cross towards his own goal, forcing Petr Cech into a smart stop.
Gomes was then called upon to keep out Sanchez from a tight angle, but the Chilean would not be denied for long and he doubled Arsenal’s lead five minutes before half time with a scrappy finish from Walcott’s enticing low cross, making it three goals in as many Premier League games against Watford.
The third goal did arrive in stoppage time of the first half, though, as Ozil sprinted past a number of statuesque defenders to latch on to Sanchez’s cross and glance his header home.
Watford boss Mazzarri brought on club-record signing Roberto Pereyra at half time in a bid to get back into the match, and it proved to be an inspirational change when the summer signing marked his debut with a goal, tucking his finish into the bottom corner after Arsenal had failed to clear their lines.
Cech was again called upon to keep his side two ahead when he parried Jose Holebas’s long-range effort into the path of Odion Ighalo before recovering in time to keep out the follow-up.
Watford continued their search for a second goal to haul themselves back into the match when Ighalo fired an acrobatic bicycle kick narrowly over before debutant Isaac Success almost made an immediate impact off the bench when he planted a header straight at Cech.
Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last seven Premier League away games and continue their 100 per cent record against Watford in the Premier League to move onto four points from their three outings this season.
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