Arsenal managed to finish their campaign on a strong note by securing a narrow 3-2 win over Watford in the final match of the 2019/20 Premier League season. The Gunners had a 3-0 lead at half-time, but an improved second-half performance from the Hornets saw them peg back as Mikel Arteta’s men somehow managed to salvage all three points, at the expense of Watford’s relegation.
Arsenal Players Rated In Win Over Watford
Emiliano Martinez 8/10
Another big display in between the sticks by Emiliano Martinez, who made at least three crucial saves to help Arsenal preserve their lead, including a 75th-minute effort from Danny Welbeck from close range. Hero for the Gunners once again.
Rob Holding 4/10
A frantic defensive display from Rob Holding, who clearly looked out of place for the entirety of the game. He struggled to keep up with his markers and wasn’t competent enough to stop the likes of Troy Deeney and Welbeck.
David Luiz 4.5/10
After a host of good performances in recent weeks, David Luiz looked off-colour today. He lacked discipline in his game and should have done much more to prevent Watford from causing such a threat in the second half.
Granit Xhaka 5.5/10
Granit Xhaka struggled to impose his presence in the centre-back role but looked much more comfortable when he moved further forward. It wasn’t perhaps the best of games from the Swiss international.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles 6/10
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was composed and reliable today, always keeping check of Roberto Pereyra. However, he was often let down by his partnering defenders throughout the game.
Dani Ceballos 5/10
Couldn’t manage to influence the game as much as he would have liked as Watford improved their performance in the second half. His passing and ball-carrying qualities did still help Arsenal’s transition play before he eventually made way for Lucas Torreira.
Joe Willock 5/10
Starting in the number ten role, Joe Willock had a very lively start to the game, but lack of consistency and a lot of complacencies saw him getting substituted just before the hour mark.
Kieran Tierney 7/10
Kieran Tierney was one of the top performers for Arsenal this evening. The Scot scored his first goal for the club in the first-half and was heavily involved in the team’s attacking moment. Defensively, he wasn’t exactly competent against Ismaila Sarr but didn’t get overwhelmed either.
Nicolas Pepe 6/10
Nicolas Pepe did get the basics right, as far as his willingness to probe the opposition with his quick feet was concerned. He also notably provided the cross to Aubameyang who then passed to Tierney for the second goal. His influence waned drastically, though.
Alexandre Lacazette 6/10
Wasn’t the best of performances from Alexandre Lacazette, who tried to get on to the scoresheet, but was lacking quality in terms of his creativity. He was rightly taken off around the hour mark.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 8/10
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang clearly had one objective this evening, which is to score a hat-trick. The Gabonese showcased amazing quality to score two goals in the first-half and assist Tierney for the other. However, he looked completely selfish later in the second half and wasn’t as sharp with his chances. A fantastic performance nonetheless, which was capped by an impressive overhead goal in the 33rd minute.
SUBSTITUTES
Eddie Nketiah 4/10
Replaced Lacazette just before the hour-mark, but failed to provide any real inspiration in the final third. He notably scuffed a brilliant counter-attack by passing it to Aubameyang instead of taking the shot by himself, though the motive was understandable.
Sead Kolasinac 3/10
Replacing Willock in the 57th minute, Kolasinac was absolutely terrible when he slotted in at the three-man backline. The Bosnian lacked pace and was no match for Sarr on the far side. He is certainly not a good fit for Mikel Arteta’s system.
Lucas Torreira 4.5/10
Failed to add much after replacing Ceballos in the 71st minute.
Reiss Nelson 6/10
Looked lively at times during the final stage of the game.
