Watford 1-3 Arsenal: Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil secure visitors first win of the season

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You spend £50 million only to discover the solution to your problems is staring you square in the face.

Arsenal will complete the captures of Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez well before Wednesday’s transfer deadline, swoops that will, for now, appease supporters aghast at the club’s lack of spending this summer.

But, on his return to the starting line-up, Mesut Ozil, in a spellbinding 45 minutes, proved his worth and won the match for the Gunners.

Santi Cazorla roars with delight after opening the scoring for Arsenal as they defeated Watford

The Gunners midfielder gave the visitors the lead from the penalty sport after nine minutes at Vicarage Road

The 31-year-old watches on as his spot-kick beats Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes

Cazorla was quickly congratulated by his team-mates as they went in search for their first Premier League win of the season

Arsenal were awarded the penalty after forward Alexis Sanchez was clattered into by Nordin Amrabat (top)

Watford players were furious with Premier League official Kevin Friend as Sanchez laid stricken on the floor

Sanchez had to be seen by a member of Arsenal's medical team but was quickly back on his feet

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE

Watford (3-5-2): Gomes 5; Kalabsele 5 (Janmaat 52, 6.5), Prodl 6, Kaboul 5; Amrabat 5.5 (Success 77, 5.5), Guedioura 6.5 (Pereyra 46, 7), Capoue 7, Behrami 6.5, Holebas 6.5; Ighalo 6.5, Deeney 6.5

Subs not used: Pantilimon, Zuniga, Sinclair, Watson

Booked: Prodl, Amrabat, Deeney, Behrami, Holebas, Ighalo

Goal: Pereyra 56 

Manager: Walter Mazzarri 6.5

Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Cech 7.5; Bellerin 7.5, Holding 7.5, Koscielny 7.5, Monreal 6.5 (Gibbs 74, 6.5); Xhaka 7.5, Cazorla 7; Walcott 7, Ozil 8 (Wilshere 70, 6.5), Oxlade-Chamberlain 6.5 (Elneny 70); Sanchez 7

Subs not used: Ospina, Giroud, Chambers, Coquelin

Booked: Wilshere

Goals: Cazorla 9 (pen), Sanchez 40, Ozil 45

Manager: Arsene Wenger 7.5

Man of the Match: Mesut Ozil

Referee: Kevin Friend 6.5 

CLICK HERE to view our brilliant Match Zone including the move for Alexis Sanchez's goal to double Arsenal's lead

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Arsene Wenger had resisted the temptation to start with his midfield magician who returned to training just a week before the season due to his Euro 2016 exploits with Germany.

But the Arsenal manager finally succumbed at Vicarage Road and the result was the Gunners’ first victory of the season. Coincidence? No chance.

This team ticks when Ozil, who cost the club £42.5m in 2013, is in the side. Arsenal are good without him, but not quite the same.

Wenger said: ‘We need Mesut. what we saw of him today is what we want from him – to give assists, to score goals. I’m happy he has scored because that’s what he has to add.’

Wenger’s opposite number, Walter Mazzarri, handed Younes Kaboul and Christian Kabasele their Premier League debuts.

Debuts to forget, mind you, as Arsenal ran riot in the first half.

It took nine minutes for Ozil to make an impact. He floated an inch-perfect pass to Alexis Sanchez who provoked Nordin Amrabat into a reckless challenge that saw him catch the forward with an elbow. Referee Kevin Friend has no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

It was brainless from Amrabat and Santi Cazorla drilled the penalty past Heurelho Gomes. 

On 40 minutes Sanchez doubled Arsenal's lead with this bouncing left-footed effort

The Chile international watches on as his effort bounces into the ground before heading towards the net

Watford they responded well. Petr Cech spared the blushes of team-mate Laurent Koscielny, who directed Amrabat’s cross towards his own goal in the 25th minute before Troy Deeney stabbed wide moments later.

Odion Ighalo and Etienne Capoue passed up opportunities to shoot before Kabasele headed narrowly wide in the 35th minute.

But they were mere flashes of respite for the Hornets. Arsenal were cruising. And when they shifted through the gears, Wenger’s side were untouchable – particularly Ozil and his Chilean sidekick Sanchez, who pushed German hard for the man-of-the-match award.

Following a mesmeric run through Watford’s defence, Sanchez exchanged passes with Ozil but could not locate a team-mate with the final pass. 

Gomes and his Watford team-mates try in vain to clear the ball - but it had already crossed the line

Sanchez (right) was congratulated by his team-mates as they took a 2-0 lead on Saturday afternoon

Next time, though, Sanchez was not as wasteful. He extended Arsenal’s lead in the 40th minute, tapping home Theo Walcott’s cross at the back post. Sebastian Prodl made a gallant effort at a goalline clearance but Sanchez’s finish had clearly crossed the line.

Watford would have been happy going in 2-0 down at that stage, but no such luck. Arsenal were purring and Ozil nodded in his side’s third after Sanchez’s brilliant cross on the stroke of half-time.

Had anyone got a touch on Hector Bellerin’s low cross nine minutes after the break then Watford would have been dead and buried.

Instead, they hit back in the 57th minute. Roberto Pereyra, a summer arrival from Juventus, and Daryl Janmaat, who joined from Newcastle, were handed their Watford debuts as second-half substitutes and they combined to give the home side hope as Pereyra cooly slotting home after Koscielny failed to deal with Janmaat’s cross.

And just minutes later, Arsenal's advantage had got even bigger thanks to Mesut Ozil's strike

The Germany international got in front of Jose Holebas to powerfully head home the Gunners' third

Arsenal's No 11 celebrates his first strike of the Premier League season with his team-mates

Watford sensed a dramatic comeback. The danger, of course, was getting caught on the counter.

Had Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain passed to Walcott or Sanchez instead of trying to chip then Arsenal would had a fourth. Instead, Cech was called on to save from Jose Holebas’s long range effort before keeping out Ighalo from the rebound.

Watford kept pressing, with Ighalo firing over with an acrobatic overhead kick before Cech kept out substitute Isaac Success’s headed effort while Valon Behrami fired wide.

Watford’s spirited rally eventually ran out of steam, though, and the Gunners sauntered home.

Mustafi and Perez will be welcome additions to the Arsenal squad this season but make no mistake, there is still only one king of the Emirates. 

Watford pulled one back on 56 minutes through summer signing Roberto Pereyra

The 25-year-old gave the hosts hope with this left-footed strike inside the penalty area

Pereyra clenches his fist in celebration as he bids to spark a comeback for his side against the Gunners

Watford team-mates congratulate Pereyra for scoring 11 minutes after the interval

Arsenal were dealt a blow when left back Nacho Monreal was forced off late on in the second half

Monreal's disappointment was clear to see as he hobbled off the pitch during the Premier League encounter