The late scare and anxious closing spell can go down as proof there is plenty of work ahead for Mikel Arteta but his Arsenal team continue to grow, and with them so does the belief that a Champions League return is a realistic target.
Ultimately, they had too much for Watford. Quite how they turned it into such a nail-biting finish is a mystery but Arteta’s team won for the fourth game in a row in the Premier League. They are well set with games in hand, and no other distractions.
Young guns Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli are creating and scoring, and centre forward Alex Lacazette is playing as well as he has played in Arsenal colours.