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Arsenal beat Watford 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium to end their losing run in the Premier League. They were high on confidence after beating AC Milan in the Europa League and got off to the ideal start when Shkodran Mustafi headed the ball in from a Mesut Ozil free kick in the eighth minute.
Watford looked equally good going forward as the first half surprisingly finished at just 1-0 with the opportunities that were being created by either team. It didn't take long for the Gunners to score in the second half as Pierre Emerick Aubameyang went around the keeper to double the lead from a Henrikh Mkhitaryan assist.
However, a penalty was conceded just after the goal when Roberto Pereyra was brought down. But, the resulting spot kick was saved by Petr Cech to deny Troy Deeney's weak effort.
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Mkhitaryan also got on the scoresheet to grab his first goal for the North London club in a 3-0 win that moves the Gunners up to 48 points, five points clear off seventh-placed Burnley and as per Watford, they stay in 10th.
Here's what went right for Arsenal:
#3 Arsenal find their cojones
"I'll have to watch what I say. It's (having) a bit of cojones, a bit of nuts."
"Whenever I play Arsenal, I'll go up and think, 'Let me whack the first one and see who wants it'. I came on today (Saturday) and jumped with (Per) Mertesacker. I didn't even have to jump, actually - I nodded it down. The crowd gets up - 'Yeah, we've got somebody who can win it' - and they all just backed off."
The above statement was Troy Deeney's comments when Watford beat Arsenal 2-1 earlier in the season. It caused a lot of outrage and attraction among the fans as well as the media.
However, Arsenal was up to the challenge that they were going to face against the Watford captain, especially the aerial battle not just with him but with the entire Hornets team. The Gunners back four won a total of 14 aerial duels, with Shkodran Mustafi and Rob Holding winning five each.
The defensive duo did a good job of shutting down down Deeney as he only had two shots in the entire game with a pass completion rate of just 55% and had only 31 touches.
Things got even worse when the 29-year-old striker failed to convert his penalty adding more salt to the wounds which were rubbed in his face by the vocal Arsenal fans in the Emirates stadium as their team won 3-0.
#2 Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan partnership
The former Borussia Dortmund duo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan brought back the glimpses from their glory days in Germany. The pair played a hand in each other's goals as Arsenal secured three points.
Firstly, it was Mkhitaryan who played the ball through to Aubameyang and the Gabon international capitalised on his chance by going around the keeper and putting the ball in the back of the net.
Both linked up again through an Arsenal attack when the striker received the ball from a blocked shot of his teammate and then he played across to Armenian, who finished off his chance with his left foot with the help of a slight deflection to score his first Premier League for the Gunners.
#1 Cech finally achieves his landmark
Petr Cech's long-awaited run for a clean sheet came to an end as he recorded his 200th clean sheet, becoming the first goalkeeper in the Premier League to reach this historic landmark. This was the 38th clean sheet in his Arsenal career whereas the other 162 clean sheets were for former club, Chelsea.
It was Cech's first shutout since Matchday 18 against Newcastle on December 16, a streak that went for 85 days, the longest drought he has had in his career.
However, his record was under threat when his side conceded a penalty right after scoring at the other end. Troy Deeney stepped up to take the spot-kick and went straight down the middle which was saved comfortably by the 35-year-old Cech as the shot lacked power. It was the shot stopper's first penalty save for the Gunners in his two and a half year stint thus far.
It has been a very tough three months for the Czech Republic international, as there has been a dip in his form and has committed several errors that have led to the opposition scoring on different occasions. He will be relieved, at last, having secured his much-deserved feat.
