Watford vs Arsenal match report: Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey on target as Gunners win

Vicarage Road, having seen 70 goals in the Championship last season, had been starved of them this season but must have feared that the arrival of Watford’s training-ground neighbours Arsenal would change all that. There had been two in four games before yesterday, a total that the visitors more than doubled thanks to a second-half performance that finally subdued the game home team.

It brought Arsenal a fourth away win in five games, a return to second place in the table and a further fillip ahead of Tuesday’s critical Champions League tie home to Bayern Munich.

Alexis Sanchez, clearly not being held back for that despite two games for Chile in the international break, made the breakthrough just after the hour with his seventh goal in four games. Mesut Özil was tackled by Nathan Ake and the ball ran loose for Sanchez, who shot high into the net.

Six minutes later Olivier Giroud, just brought on for Theo Walcott, drove in from Özil’s pass, and after the same period of time Hector Bellerin was allowed to cut in from the right and pass square to an unmarked Aaron Ramsey for the third goal.

Arsenal’s domination of the first 10 minutes was so complete that they must subconsciously have relaxed before realising long before half-time that this was going to be a contest after all.

In that opening spell the home side were penned back and Heurelho Gomes was kept busy, first holding a glancing header by Theo Walcott – used at centre-forward again – then producing a flying save to deny Sanchez, who had been set up by Özil.

There was soon, however, a useful warning of what Watford are about when their hard-working captain, Troy Deeney, won possession from Francis Coquelin and forced a save from Petr Cech. After Odion Ighalo’s cut-back eluded Deeney and Ikechi Anya, the goalkeeper was grateful to Laurent Koscielny for a superb interception.

Only then did Arsenal recover some composure and start playing their football again. Ramsey could only clip a cross from Sanchez over the bar, and Watford’s Allan Nyom emulated Koscielny by stopping a low centre by Bellerin from reaching Nacho Monreal. It was typical of the game that the move should have featured both Arsenal full-backs in attack.

Not that either of them could afford to neglect defensive duties. When Koscielny was caught on the wrong side of his man, Ighalo was clear and was touched by Monreal, chasing back, but not sufficiently to warrant a penalty or to excuse the waywardness of the leading scorer’s shot.