Arsenal vs Watford: Smith Rowe Scores as Gunners Win 1-0 to Climb to 5th

Arsenal vs Watford: Smith Rowe Scores as Gunners Win 1-0 to Climb to 5th

Fred Kennedy
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:51 PM
  • Emile Smith Rowe was the hero in Mikel Arteta's 100th game in charge of Arsenal as they beat Watford 1-0
  • Watford's Juraj Kucka was sent off late on in the game while Aubameyang saw his penalty saved by Ben Foster in the first half
  • Arsenal have now moved up to fifth in the Premier League after the win and are level on same points with West Ham

Arsenal moved up to 5th in the Premier League table after a 1-0 win against Watford thanks to a second-half strike from Emile Smith Rowe.

Emile Smith Rowe scores against Watford. Photo by Ryan Pierse.
Emile Smith Rowe was the hero in Mikel Arteta's 100th game in charge of Arsenal as they beat Watford 1-0. Photo by Ryan Pierse.
Source: UGC

The victory also meant that the Gunners have remained unbeaten in 10 games across all competitions as they continue their good form.

Taking charge of his 100th game in charge at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta named an unchanged back four from the win over Leicester, with Takehiro Tomiyasu, Ben White, Gabriel and Nuno Tavares all featuring.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles came in for injured Partey in midfield, while Sambi Lokonga partnered the England international.

Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Alexandre Lacazette made up the strong attacking quartet.

And it was Saka who thought he had scored the opening goal of the game but his early strike was overturned by VAR for offside.

However, 10 minutes before halftime, former Tottenham defender Danny Rose committed a blatant foul on Alexandre Lacazette and the referee wasted no time to point to the spot.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's penalty was however superbly saved by the impressive Ben Foster as the first half ended 0-0.

But with just 11 minutes into the second half, Smith Rowe gave Arsenal the lead from 18 yards for his fifth goal of the season.

Arsenal's wastefulness and Foster's string of saves set up a nervy finish for the hosts but they held on to claim a big win.

Watford star Juraj Kucka was sent off in the final minutes for two bookable offences.

Arsenal have now moved up to fifth in the Premier League, level on points with West Ham.

Dean Smith sacked at Villa

Earlier, TUKO.co.ke reported Dean Smith has lost his job at Aston Villa after losing five straight games in the Premier League.

Smith helped Villa earn promotion back to the Premier League in his first season in charge at the club.

The Englishman now becomes the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job this season after Xisco Munoz, Steve Bruce, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Daniel Farke.

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Fred Kennedy
Fred Kennedy has a Bachelor's degree in journalism (Daystar University), currently working as a Sports Editor. He has more than five years of experience in digital journalism.
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