Watford 2-2 Arsenal: Premier League – live reaction!

It’s hard to know where to start with that match. Arsenal led 2-0 at half-time after two lovely goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. But Watford were relentless in the second half, and got back in the game through Tom Cleverley after some laughable defending from Arsenal. Roberto Pereyra’s late penalty brought them level, and both teams had chances to win it. It was pulsating entertainment.

Peep peep! A fine, uplifting game ends with honours even. Quique Sanchez Flores is back; so are Watford. They were wonderful.

90+2 min: Vital save from Leno! Doucoure almost scored the winner after a fantastic piece of play. He surged forward from deep inside his own half, beating Sokratis with a lovely bit of skill on the halfway line before finding Sarr on the right. Sarr fizzed a precise low cross to pick out Doucoure, whose sidefooted shot was smothered by the plunging Leno. This is tremendous stuff!

90+1 min It’s like a basketball game now. Willock misses a great chance to play Aubameyang in at one end; then Cleverley’s shot is blocked at the other; and finally Capoue is booked for stopping Arsenal’s counter-counter-counter-attack.

90 min An abysmal pass from Xhaka on the edge of the Watford area allows the home side to break. Doucoure’s vicious shot is blocked by Torreira. It’s breathless stuff.

89 min Nelson wins the ball off Sarr and buys Arsenal a bit of time with a break down the left. Eventually Aubameyang’s cross is miscontrolled by the stretching Xhaka, in a lot of space at the far post. A better touch there would have given him a great chance.

87 min Janmaat shoots well wide from the edge of the area. Watford have had 28 attempts on goal to Arsenal’s seven.

86 min Doucoure’s shot is blocked and comes to Cleverley, whose cracking rising drive is headed over by David Luiz. I think that was going in. Leno certainly wouldn’t have got to it.

84 min So close from Deulofeu! Cleveley’s shot was blocked by Sokratis and rebounded to Deulofeu, who drilled a low shot this far wide of the far post.

83 min Only one side looks like winning this game, and it’s not Romania. Pereyra’s cross is headed away by David Luiz, but Arsenal cannot get out.

Pereyra passed the ball low to his left, with Leno going the wrong way. Watford deserve that for a stirring performance.

VAR check: it’s a penalty. It was just inside the area. Pereyra changed direction nicely, and David Luiz dangled a leg as only he can.

David Luiz has fouled Pereyra right on the line of the area.

79 min Arsenal enjoy a bit of respite in the Watford half. Eventually, Torreira rattles a snapshot from 12 yards that is beaten away by Foster.

76 min A comedy of errors almost leads to an equaliser. Nelson leads an Arsenal break, only for the ball to hit his heel and fall for Doucoure. He plays it wide to Sarr, whose low cross is miskicked by Kabasele near the penalty spot. That was a chance.

75 min Watford deserve an equaliser. Sarr’s stinging shot from long-range hits a defender and goes behind for another corner.

72 min A rare Arsenal attack. Pepe does well to pick out Nelson, whose low shot from the edge of the box is comfortably saved by Foster.

71 min Arsenal’s final change: Reiss Nelson replaces Mesut Ozil, whose devastating pass created Aubameyang’s second goal.

70 min Technically, Watford’s goal shouldn’t have counted, because Deulofeu’s foot was in the Arsenal area when the goalkick was taken. Apparently VAR can’t get involved with restarts. Quite right, too; it’s not like it led to a goal or anything.

68 min Deulofeu comes infield, past Maitland-Niles yet again, and hits another good shot that takes a deflection and spins wide of the far post.

67 min Deulofeu has been fantastic today. He starts another move that almost ends with an equaliser when Femenia’s cross is flicked behind his standing foot and wide of the far post by Pereyra.

65 min: Fine play from Sarr! Deulofeu teased Guendouzi on the left of the area and played a short pass into Sarr, who had his back to goal. He stabbed the ball around David Luiz with his first touch, turned and hit a volley that drifted wide of the far post. The shot was mishit but the first touch was lovely.

63 min Deulofeu wins a corner for Watford. Before it is taken, Will Hughes is replaced by Roberto Pereyra.

60 min It’s all Watford now, and Femenia blasts over from the edge of the area. Arsenal make their first change, with Joe Willock replacing Dani Ceballos.

58 min Another fine effort from Deulofeu, who zips infield from the left and curls a low shot that goes a few yards wide of the far post. That means a goalkick for Arsenal, and another chance for Watford.

55 min Watford make a change, with the record signing Ismaila Sarr replacing Andre Gray. Moments later, the superb Deulofeu cracks a shot from the left of the box that is comfortably saved by Leno.

What an absurd goal. Leno took a goalkick to Sokratis in the six-yard box. He telegraphed a straight pass to Guendouzi on the edge of the area that was intercepted by Deulofeu. His touch diverted the ball to Cleverley, who rammed a low shot past Leno from 15 yards.

It’s been coming. Arsenal have been playing silly buggers in their own area all day, and now they’ve been punished.

52 min Doucoure, teed up nicely by Hughes, slices a shot miles wide from 20 yards. In fact, it’s gone for a throw-in.

49 min Ozil finds Xhaka, who blasts over the bar from 35 yards.

47 min Guendouzi loses the ball in a very dangerous area again, this time playing a square pass straight to Gray in the Arsenal area. He’s saved by Xhaka, who comes around the side of Gray to make a brilliant tackle. Moments later, Hughes cracks a first-time shot over the bar from 17 yards.

Peep peep! Arsenal lead through two brilliant goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The first was an expert finish; the second was a team effort inspired by Mesut Ozil. The scoreline is harsh on Watford, who started very brightly and have looked dangerous on the break.

45+1 min It’s all kicking off here! Holebas challenged Pepe near the halfway line, and suddenly players from both sides appeared to start a shoving match.

45 min Deulofeu, who has been excellent, charges into the area at pace only to run out of room after beating David Luiz.

44 min “The relationship between Ozil and Emery is a nuanced one, I think,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Mesut: ‘I don’t care if you don’t want me (but watch this!)’; Unai: ‘I can’t afford you, I don’t want you (but look at that!)’.”

It fascinates me, given all type of criticism both men receive, that one of Ozil’s biggest fans was Jose Mourinho.

43 min “The NBC feed announcers are trashing the Watford back line,” says Mary Waltz, “but I think it’s more Arsenal quality then poor performance by Watford.”

They were two excellent goals, I thought.

41 min A win today would take Arsenal to third in the table, behind Manchester City on goal difference.

39 min Femenia wins a corner for Watford, who are still game despite the double blow from Aubameyang. David Luiz heads it away.