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Arsenal avenged their FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Watford with a commanding league victory over Quique Sanchez Flores’ side on Saturday.
From the moment Alexis Sanchez’s early strike hit the back of the net, Arsene Wenger’s men looked sure to claim victory over their opponents who, with top flight survival all but certain, have little left to play for this season.
Youngster Alex Iwobi maintained the impressive form he has shown since breaking into the side and grabbed his second goal in as many games shortly before half-time.
The winger, who recently made his international debut for Nigeria, also rattled the crossbar and forced Heurelho Gomes into a spectacular save.
Hector Bellerin added Arsenal’s third goal with a deflected volley just after the break, while Theo Walcott, on a second-half substitute, wrapped up the win late on.
The Gunners recovered from three successive home defeats in all competitions to breathe new life into their title challenge. Their supporters, however, may once again be wondering whether Wenger’s side have done too little too late.
Who impressed us in Arsenal’s rout? Take a look at the gallery below to find out…
Show all 24 1 /24Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Arsenal vs Watford player ratings David Ospina - 6 out of 10 With Petr Cech set to return to the side against West Ham next week another solid display from Ospina will have done enough to earn him Wenger’s trust – or even a move in the summer.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Hector Bellerin - 8 out of 10 An admittedly fortuitous goal capped off a very impressive display from Bellerin, who burst forward throughout to add another string to Arsenal’s bow. His partnership with Sanchez in particular shows real signs of promise.
Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Gabriel - 5 out of 10 Those calamitous moments Gabriel is capable of producing are getting no rarer with more regular starts. There were moments when his diving interventions were crucial but equally occasions when he slipped off and Watford nearly capitalised.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Laurent Koscielny - 7 out of 10 Composed throughout, he swept up in behind as Watford looked to unleash the pace of Ighalo and Amrabat. In particular he made a telling contribution when the former had left Gabriel on his backside.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Nacho Monreal - 7 out of 10 Throughout the 90 minutes Monreal did not put a foot wrong, keeping track of the modest threat provided by Amrabat whilst adding the Arsenal’s overloading of the left flank.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Mohamed Elneny - 7 out of 10 At half-time he had completed 63 of 64 passes, typical of a display that may not have been the most adventurous but was as reliable as Wenger could want from one of his deep-lying duo.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Francis Coquelin - 8 out of 10 At his best, as he was today, he is Arsenal’s one-man midfield. Ferocious in the tackle but also showed a real eye for a pass, setting his side on course for several dangerous attacks.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Alexis Sanchez - 8 out of 10 The direct, energetic and arrogant figure of last season was back at the Emirates for the first time in some while. His early goal only added to his sense of belief and soon he was driving at defences with relish.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Mesut Ozil - 7 out of 10 He may not have left his mark on the scoresheet or in the assist column but there was plenty to like from Ozil, who ghosted into space and kept the attack ticking as others stole the headlines.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Alex Iwobi - 9 out of 10 Another goal but that was just a mere moment in an outstanding display from the 19-year-old. His burgeoning understanding with Welbeck down the left offers real promise for Wenger over the years ahead.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Danny Welbeck - 7 out of 10 He may not quite have lived up to his manager’s comparisons with Aubameyang but he once more looked like the right man to lead the Arsenal line, providing the ideal blend of pace and power and showing great interplay with the three behind him.
Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Olivier Giroud - 6 out of 10 The game was over by the time he came off the bench and he had little opportunity to show what he could do.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Heurelho Gomes - 5 out of 10 Could do nothing about Sanchez’s opener, where he saved well before the rebound was converted, but must answer serious questions about missing Iwobi’s shot at a time when Watford were putting pressure on their hosts.
Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Allan Nyom - 5 out of 10 Could often find himself with three or four Arsenal players ganging up on him and would be entitled to berate his midfielders for the meagre support they offered him. One could be critical of how often Iwobi breezed past him but there was rarely much he could do.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Sebastian Prodl - 4 out of 10 All too often was dragged out of position when Welbeck and Iwobi interchanged along the left flank. His response, to go flying into tackles, only served to make matters worse for Watford.
Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Craig Cathcart - 6 out of 10 With Welbeck relentlessly targeting the struggling Prodl Arsenal’s attacks often passed Cathcart by, though when called upon he was always willing to throw himself in front of the ball.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Nathan Ake - 5 out of 10 Looked very ordinary against Bellerin and Sanchez, who outjumped him for Arsenal’s opener. With the injured Capoue offering little protection he was dragged around whilst offering little protection.
Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Ben Watson - 5 out of 10 A day typified by the moment when a tame Bellerin shot deflected off him and into the net. Certainly he was not short on effort but nothing quite went right for him.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Almen Abdi - 5 out of 10 Got stuck in on plenty of occasions but could do little to stem the tide of Arsenal attackers dribbling past him and his team-mates.
Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Etienne Capoue - 6 out of 10 Started very brightly in the opening moments, remorselessly harrying Hector Bellerin, but seemed to pick up an injury and was struggling to keep up prior to his exit on 40 minutes.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Mario Suarez - 5 out of 10 Started very brightly in the opening moments, remorselessly harrying Hector Bellerin, but seemed to pick up an injury and was struggling to keep up prior to his exit on 40 minutes.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Troy Deeney - 6 out of 10 Gave as good as he got as Watford all too often had little choice but to punt the ball up to their captain. He gave his all to give Arsenal difficulties but largely in vain.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Odion Ighalo - 5 out of 10 Certainly not short of running but seriously starved of service in the game’s opening half. Bar one impressive touch to leave Gabriel on the deck he seriously struggled to make an impact and was off at half-time.
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Arsenal vs Watford player ratings Ikechi Anya - 5 out of 10 Outpaced by Bellerin time and time again, there was also very little of any threat from the Scottish winger on the counter.
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