Watford vs Arsenal
Match pulse
WATAttacking pressure by 5 minutes
Who won: Arsenal 2-1
Arsenal beat Watford 2-1 on Tuesday, December 26, 2006 at Vicarage Road. Goals for Watford: Tommy Smith (23'). Goals for Arsenal: Gilberto Silva (19') and Robin van Persie (83').
Play by play
- 93'
FULL TIME - Class counts is the lesson of today children. Watford were worthy contenders in a highly entertaining game but a wonderful piece of finishing has put paid to their gutsy endeavour. Bad luck to Adrian Boothroyd's men but hats off to Robin Van Persie for a sublime strike.
- 92'
Walcott has a shot that fails to trouble Foster.
- 90'
Young hits a ball in the direction of Henderson whose attentions on Toure are not appreciated by the Arsenal players.
- 90'
Tamas Priskin comes on for the injured Shittu.
- 89'
Shittu has left the field.
- 87'
Toure makes a firm challenge on Shittu who has come off the worse. Baptista has sped away at the other end and Stewart makes a goal-saving interception as Van Persie waited a yard from goal to apply the killer touch.
- 85'
Van Persie is down injured but Watford don't care. They take the throw but make nothing of it.
- 85'
Hoyte hits it back to Lehmann but he is under pressure and knocks it out for a throw.
- 82'
GOAL - And what an absolute peach from Robin Van Persie. He beats the offside trap and then cuts carefully inside the flailing figure of Jay DeMerit. He then almost casually tees a wonderful curling shot in to Ben Foster's bottom right hand corner. A goal to win any game. Will it win this one?
- 80'
Adebayor holds his head in his hand and well he might as Van Persie's dinked pass sets him up eighteen yards from goal. He scuffs his shot in to the ground and wide of the Watford goal.
- 80'
Fabregas free-kick is lazy and cleared by the outstretched boot of Francis.
- 79'
Baptista immiediately has a chance to make himself a hero and has a great chance to place his shot. He does. Wide of Ben Foster's right hand post.
- 78'
Rosicky, who has been hugely disappointing in this game, is to be replaced by Julio Baptista, who has been hugely disappointing all season.
- 77'
Francis feet were a bit high there on Senderos and he should have been booked for that.
- 75'
Hoyte's cross from the right is met by Mariappa's head. Clichy then receives the ball and goes on a surging, penetrative run in to the Watford penalty box. He beats three men but his shot is not as impressive and is high and wide.
- 74'
DeMerit does a sterling job keeping tabs on Adebayor and Watford force Fabregas in to a long range effort which he blasts well wide.
- 73'
Stewart launches a long free-kick....right behind Lehmann's goal.
- 70'
An awful piece of defensive play from Hoyte puts Senderos in all sorts of trouble as he faces goal seven yards out. Arsenal get the ball out for a throw and breathe once more when Watford waste it but yet again their defensive frailties are there for all to see.
- 69'
Young is penalised for a foul on Senderos. Meanwhile Hleb comes off for Theo Walcott.
- 69'
Good play again from Smith and his cross is well met by Senderos.
- 68'
Damien Francis is coming on to replace Bouazza.
- 66'
Bouazza is being helped from the pitch and appears to be clutching his shoulder.
- 64'
This time Hoyte finds himself in the Watford penalty box and swivels to hit a low shot which brings another great save from Foster, who dives low to his right to keep the ball out.
- 63'
Fabregas plays a magnificent pass to Adebayor who cuts inside the Watford defence and hits an equally impressive shot which Foster does very well to keep out.
- 60'
When the corner comes across Lehmann makes a fine catch. He then hits his goal-kick against Toure and immediately puts his team under pressure. The two sides of the Arsenal keeper in ten seconds.
Leaders
WATARS 
