Splendid Saka steers Arsenal into fourth despite late scare

Arsenal's Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Premier League match at Vicarage Road, Watford. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire 

Premier League: Watford 2-3 Arsenal 

ARSENAL moved into the Premier League top four ahead of the Manchester derby with a display to justify their status as favourites to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Eye-catching goals from Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli made it four successive wins for Mikel Arteta's side while Watford, who scored spectacularly through Cucho Hernandez and late on from Moussa Sissoko, remain second from bottom and look doomed.

Watford had the ball in the back of the bet in the first attack of the match, after only 16 seconds, but Emmanuel Dennis was ruled offside.

Arsenal recovered to take the lead in style five minutes into the match. Odegaard and Bukayo Saka combined down the right and the Norway midfielder passed a low left-foot shot into the right-hand corner of Ben Foster's net. It was a move of the highest quality.

Arsenal's dominance and prolonged celebrations were cut short seven minutes later when Kiko Femenia crossed in from the right and Hernandez scored with a stunning and unstoppable overhead kick.

Arsenal, in a rare all-red strip with yellow and blue Ukraine trim, were sloppy for a spell after that and regained the lead, on the half-hour, almost against the run of play.

But Saka's goal was, again, a joy. He robbed a dawdling Tom Cleverley to play a one-two with Alex Lacazette, courtesy of a deft back heel, and drove in a high shot.

For fans of the numbers game, Saka's strike, his eighth of the season, when combined with his five assists, statistically marks him as the best under-21 player in the Premier League and second in the leading five European leagues.

Arteta used the celebration break to berate his players for their lack of urgency out of possession as midfielder Granit Xhaka and defender Gabriel both received animated earfuls of wisdom from the Spanish manager.

Arsenal's third, seven minutes into the second half, was another cracker as Martinelli drove into the roof of the net from another Lacazette set-up and more good work from Odegaard.

Sissoko’s 85th-minute strike, involving some poor defending from Ben White, gave Watford hope and made the finish unnecessarily nervy for the Gunners, but there were no further alarms and the best team won.

WATFORD: Foster 6, Kamara 6, Samir 5, Femenia 6, Cathcart 6, Cleverley 5 (Kalu 89), Louza 6 (Kayembe 64), Sissoko 6, Pedro 6, Dennis 6, Hernandez 7. Substitutes: Bachmann, Etebo, Masina, Sema, Kabasele, Sierralta, Kucka.

ARSENAL: Ramsdale 6, Soares 7, White 6, Gabriel 6, Tierney 6, Xhaka 6, Partey 7, Martinelli 7 (Pepe 73), Saka 9, Odegaard 8 (Holding 90), Lacazette 7 (Nketiah 79). Substitutes: Leno, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Swanson, Hutchinson.

Ref: Craig Pawson 5