Red card Ben Foster and Troy Deeney place Arsenal in first four | Soccer

For Troy Deeney, it's the evening when his penchant for the goodness of his mind is really kicked him in the cojones. Always good for a small sentence, it is after this match of October 2017 that the captain of Watford accused the Arsenal players of missing a certain part of the body of a man and explained how much he loved "Hit first" at each meeting.

Eighteen months later, Deeney did hit an Arsenal player and he was ruled out of trouble.

The flash point appeared early, after 11 minutes to be precise, and a little out of nowhere. Arsenal had just taken the lead thanks to an impressively opportunistic combination of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ben Foster's absolute madness when referee, Craig Pawson, suddenly wore a red card. Deeney was the culprit after being spotted, it seems, by Richard West, the assistant on the opposite side, throwing his right forearm against Lucas Torreira's head as he passed Arsenal midfielder .

From where West stood, it is possible that he thought Deeney had slapped Torreira, Pawson could come to the same conclusion. As Javi Gracia had a hard time signaling later, this was not the case, but Deeney was indisputable. He had been reckless and could hardly complain about his second dismissal from the Premier League, which would put him out of the next three Watford games. fittings.

Deeney being Deeney, he complained, on the ground and while he was walking shirtless in front of the ponds, with information suggesting that he had sworn against Unai Emery while he was passing the manager of Arsenal. Emery later confirmed that the player had told him something but had not confirmed that it was foul language. For the 30-year-old, he was humiliated to hear the absent supporters rejoice at his absence as he watched the rest of the first period. in the players tunnel. Schadenfreude and, for Deeney, some fell to the ground eight days after playing a crucial role in Watford's remarkable win over the Wolves in the FA Cup semifinal.

"I do not agree [it was a red card]Gracia said, "Troy put his arm there but there was no contact with his elbow, I've never seen an aggressive move, I do not understand why the referee took the decision. "

The frustration of the Spaniard was obvious, but he was also right to congratulate his team for the way she had reacted to the loss of her leader. As at Wembley, Watford has shown resilience in the face of adversity and created enough chances to feel unhappy to suffer his first loss here since Boxing Day.

Craig Cathcart and the excellent Etienne Capoue both forced Bernd Leno to make smart stops before half-time, before Adam Masina took down the goal that allowed the coach to take a lead cleared over 62 minutes. And then, with time flowing, Andre Gray bypasses Leno and seems ready to pass the ball in an open goal, but Ainsley Maitland-Niles, substitute, will produce an excellent block.

"Playing with 10 players against Arsenal was demanding but we showed our spirit and character," said Gracia. "My players deserve to be recognized."

Despite the result, Emery was less effusive on his side. Arsenal may have dominated the possession of the ball and created opportunities, but, as his manager said, they "lacked control" despite their numerical advantage. However, in the end, they have done enough to win an extremely important victory – only their third of their last 13 games away from all competitions and a win that allows them to rank fourth in this fascinating battle to qualifying in the Champions League. Visitors also got their first blank campaign piece.

As for sending Deeney, the only goal of the game came as a thunderclap – or should it be a shot of mint green given the colors of Arsenal. They were in the background and seemed upset by Watford's aggressive departure when a deep surge prompted Daryl Janmaat to give back pass to Foster under pressure from Aubameyang. The Arsenal striker chased the ball and was rewarded for his efforts when Watford goalkeeper hit his left-foot clearance and could only watch when the ball rolled into the goal.

For Aubameyang, it was a 23rd goal of the season, while for Foster, generally a reliable presence, it was a moment to forget. "I said sorry to the guys," he said later. "I think I should have believed it, but it's not my style."

To be fair to Arsenal, they showed great spirit in a consistent physical encounter and were offered a chance to double their lead, Alex Iwobi being particularly threatening from a forward position on the left. Based on this display, the 22-year-old would be a good bet to start the second leg of the Europa League quarter-final for Arsenal against Napoli on Thursday.