"He started that off" - Paul Scholes lauds Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta's smart move during Gunners' win over Watford

Premier League legend Paul Scholes has heaped praise on Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for his quick thinking that led to Gabriel Martinelli's goal. The Spaniard played a key part in Arsenal scoring their third goal against Watford at Vicarage Road and it eventually proved to be the decisive strike.

Arteta ran from his technical area and picked the ball up after it went out for a throw-in and immediately handed it to Bukayo Saka. The Gunners produced some moments of magical one-touch football after the throw-in, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a wonderful goal.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes hailed the former Gunners skipper for his quick thinking to catch the Hornets out of position.

Martinelli's goal gave the Gunners a 3-1 lead but Moussa Sissoko's late strike meant it turned out to be the winning goal in which Arteta played a key role.

While talking to Premier League Productions, Scholes admired the vision of the former Arsenal captain stating:

“He (Arteta) started that off, didn’t he,” said the former Manchester United midfielder, as quoted by HITC Sport. “Arteta can definitely sense something that is happening."

He added:

“Watford aren’t quite in their shape. He runs down the line. Out of his technical area, is he allowed to do that? I am not too sure. But he definitely plays a big part in that.”

Following their win against Watford on Sunday, Arteta's side are now fourth in the Premier League table with 48 points in 25 games. They have now won their last four league games and their eight in their last 10 games.

The Gunners seem to be in the driver's seat in their pursuit of a Champions League spot. They have three games in hand over fifth-placed Manchester United and sixth-placed West Ham United.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have already fallen a lot behind, while Tottenham Hotspur also have grounds to make up if they are to challenge for the fourth spot.

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Mikel Arteta has done a good job at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta took on a difficult challenge when he became the manager of Arsenal; the club he used to captain during his playing days.

The north London club were not doing well when Arteta took over and he has slowly but surely helped them revive their position. The Spaniard also helped Arsenal to their record 14th FA Cup in his first season.

It has not been an easy journey for the Spaniard at the Emirates, with fans calling out for his sacking on a number of occasions. The Gunners finished eighth last season and missed out on European football for the first time in more than two decades. They started the new season on the worst note possible - losing their first three games, conceding nine goals and scoring none.

However, Arteta has managed to turn the Gunners' fortunes around with his managerial masterclass. The future looks bright for the Gunners with a young core group of players at their disposal.