Match report – Player ratings – By the numbers – Video

I have to say, I love me a 3-0 win. Not simply for the fact that we’ve scored three goals, which obviously is a good thing; not simply for the fact that we’ve gained three points; not simply for the fact that we’ve kept another clean sheet – making us the least concede-y team in the league (alongside some other crowd that really aren’t worth mentioning); I love me a 3-0 win because it means I don’t have to think.

There are mornings when I really, really have to put my brain in gear. Sometimes it’s to try and make sense of something bad; sometimes to find reason where it is hard to find, or indeed where there is none; sometimes it’s because there’s nothing going on; but ask yourself if you’d like to do that the minute you get up, every single morning. Wake up, get coffee, start thinking. Ugh. It’s terrible.

Most of you can go on autopilot. Make the kids, dress the breakfast, walk the train, take a dog, and so on, but having to think first thing in the morning isn’t usually part of it. This is why I am highly appreciative when Arsenal do what they did yesterday, and I don’t have to worry too much about what happens when I sit down at the keyboard.

Sure, we should have been ahead in the first half as Aaron Ramsey added another to his collection of ‘Glorious misses from sensational Alexis Sanchez passes’, and despite the fact there were a couple of moments of danger at the other end, it never felt like it was going to be anything other than an Arsenal win.

In the second half Etienne Capoue (dude really needs an accent on the E, come on), went tumbling into our area over a Francis Coquelin challenge. The referee rightly waved play on and we went tearing up the other end. Santi Cazorla gave the defenders the eyes before giving them a how-do-you-do and a twisty-merry-go-round, playing a brilliant pass to Mesut Ozil. The German was taken down for what would have been a penalty but before the referee could even blow Alexis put the ball in the net via the post to open the scoring.

His groin stopped time, sang a hymn which made angels weep tears of unfathomable joy, and play started again. We made a substitution, bringing on the bearded Olivier Giroud for the bearded Theo Walcott – the Frenchman figuring that Arsene Wenger prefers an unshaven striker these days, football hipster that he is. Olivier’s Pop Tart and Banana Milk Cafe is opening in Shoreditch next week, everyone’s invited.

Anyway, he’d only been on the pitch a matter of moments when a Ramsey shot deflected towards the back post. It was sitting up perfectly, ready to be smashed into the net with a swipe of a right-foot, so naturally Ozil didn’t do that and cut the ball back into the path of Giroud – the Frenchman gratefully whacking it into the roof of the net with his big handsome right foot.

By the way, Premier League goals this season – Olivier Giroud 4 : Theo Walcott 2. It’s almost as if Giroud isn’t as bad as some people would have you believe.

Then, to wrap things up, Aaron Ramsey got his first Arsenal goal of the season. In front of goal, with just the keeper to beat, he decided that was too easy, so he played a brilliant shot off the foot of the defender, wrong-footing the keeper. It really feels like that was a goal he needed. The miss in the first half was pretty terrible, but what I really like about Ramsey is the fact he never, ever hides on the pitch and I’m glad he got the goal – hopefully it’ll take some of the pressure off.

I also really enjoyed his Grant Holt impression celebration.

After that it was all done and dusted. Gomes made a showy save from a thumping Giroud header, and we should have had a penalty when Alexis was fouled by two players but got up and got on with it and the referee felt sorry for Watford. He and Ozil then got 11 minutes of rest ahead of Tuesday night, but all in all it was a most satisfactory away trip against a team that had only conceded once at home all season. It also takes our goal tally to 11 in our last 3 Premier League games, not too shabby.

Afterwards, Arsene Wenger said:

To beat Watford you have to be completely committed to the game. We faced a Watford team that was well organised and knew exactly what they wanted to do. They were very physical in the challenge and very strong in the challenges and very direct. These three things together, it took us a while to get on top of that.

In the second half, the fatigue coming in, Watford came in less in the challenges and we got the ball quicker in transition and were much more dangerous. When we scored the first goal, I like the fact we continued to attack and got a convincing win.

I like that too. It was the kind of win a relatively mature team can dig out. Sure, we have our moments but generally we’re much better at game management these days. We knew Watford’s high press would see them tire, and when they did we took advantage of that. Chances were created, chances were taken, and even if one or two players weren’t quite at the top of their game yesterday, as a collective we did exactly what we needed to do, and that’s very pleasing.

We sit second in the table, still those 2 points behind City, but that’s a decent place to be at this point of the season. We have a couple of very challenging games coming up this week, with Bayern on Tuesday and Everton next weekend, so fingers crossed we can keep the momentum going.

Till tomorrow.