Arsenal have picked up their first win of the new Premier League season courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road this afternoon.
First-half strikes from Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil all but secured the points for the Gunners by half time, and Watford could only muster a Roberto Pereyra consolation in reply to leave the Hornets still winless under Walter Mazzarri.
The visitors went into the match having won all six of their previous Premier League meetings with Watford, and it took them less than 10 minutes to make the first step towards maintaining that 100% record.
Ozil, making his first start of the season, clipped a ball into the box for Sanchez, only for Nordin Amrabat to clatter into the Chilean and leave referee Kevin Friend little choice but to point to the spot.
Cazorla stepped up to take it, and the Spaniard calmly sent his penalty down the middle to end a 41-match goal drought and give his side the lead.
The Gunners almost doubled their advantage midway through the first half when Theo Walcott did well to latch on to Sanchez's pass across the face of goal, squeezing a shot on target from a tight angle that Heurelho Gomes needed to save.
Despite Arsenal's dominance, they almost gifted Watford an equaliser moments later when Laurent Koscielny's attempted interception saw him turn Amrabat's cross towards his own goal, forcing Petr Cech into a smart stop.
The Hornets had registered the fewest shots on target, shots overall and touches in the opposition area in the first two games of the season, and it took them 34 minutes to finally create a decent chance of their own this afternoon when Christian Kabasele, making his Premier League debut, glanced Etienne Capoue's corner wide.
Gomes was then called upon to keep out Sanchez from a tight angle, but the Chilean would not be denied for long and he doubled Arsenal's lead five minutes before half time with a scrappy finish from Walcott's enticing low cross, making it three goals in as many Premier League games against Watford.
Arsene Wenger's side were now looking to kill the game off before half time, and Walcott came close to doing exactly that when he again did well to squeeze a shot on target, only for Gomes to once again keep the score down.
The third goal did arrive in stoppage time of the first half, though, as Ozil sprinted past a number of statuesque defenders to latch on to Sanchez's cross and glance his header home.
Watford boss Mazzarri brought on club-record signing Pereyra at half time in a bid to get back into the match, and it proved to be an inspirational change when the summer arrival marked his debut with a goal, tucking his finish into the bottom corner after Arsenal had failed to clear their lines.
The hosts were beginning to build some momentum in the wake of that goal and Arsenal were unable to halt it when looking to restore their three-goal advantage as Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain both sent attempted chips off target.
Cech was then called upon to keep his side two ahead when he parried Jose Holebas's long-range effort into the path of Odion Ighalo before recovering in time to keep out the follow-up.
Watford continued their search for a second goal to haul themselves back into the match when Ighalo fired an acrobatic bicycle kick narrowly over before debutant Isaac Success almost made an immediate impact off the bench when he planted a header straight at Cech.
In the end, though, the Watford comeback never really materialised, and it was Arsenal who came closest to adding to the scores when Gomes was at full stretch to pluck Sanchez's effort out of the sky.
Arsenal are now unbeaten in their last seven league away games and continue their 100% record against Watford in the Premier League to move onto four points from their three outings this season.
Watford, meanwhile, how now won just four of their last 24 Premier League outings, including only two of their last 12 at home.
Barney Corkhill
