Watford v Arsenal: Premier League – Live! | Soccer

"There is no way it's a bright red but it had to happen to Deeney to restore karmic balance," Bishop Jerome said.

Half-time reading: Here's an article about a game played 95 years ago, at a time when two of this season's relegation candidates were in the hunt for the tightest title of all time:

Rick McGahey gave a few clarifications: "I think you're joking about a reasonably soft forearm smash" (though you can not say the same to English football fans and their tolerance of the physical game ) but just to be pedantic (this is the Guardian after all), here is what Fifa means by "excessive force": "To use excessive force means that the player has gone far beyond the need to use force and risk. to hurt his opponent. "To the extent that hitting Torriera in the head was not at all necessary. (It could never be the case), the red card is very much in line with Fifa's standards. But I think that Fifa has inserted a useless gray area in its wording. It looked like a red card, because Deeney pushed his forearm into Torreira's head, but it was not likely to hurt his opponent, so I may be wrong.

45 + 2 minutes: Arsenal deserves nothing from this half. They were terrible, and for the most part were downplayed by 10 men. However, they received an advance and they still have it.

45 + 1 minutes: There will be a minute of shutdown. It starts with Aubameyang who gets the ball in the box, writhing in all directions, then in Hughes.

44 minutes: "So, if I understand correctly, Deeney (a) decided in advance to hit an Arsenal player, (b) announced his intention to the referees, and then (c) went out and l? did, "summarizes Peter McMurry. "And now he's complaining about a red card? There must be a Spanish aphorism about brain and cojones that is appropriate here. "

41 minutes: Watford attacks well and when Femenia center right, Mustafi points the ball just before Kabasele can steal it. On the plus side, he denies Watford a chance to score. On the lower side, he is shot in the head.

40 minutes: As Gary Naylor points out, you should be allowed to hit the forearm relatively gently. The laws of Fifa state: "A player is guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent without challenging the ball." So, a little strength, it's okay.

37 minutes: Doucoure pbades the ball over the opponent's head and goes to Gray, which I'm pretty sure is not offside, but the lino has the flag. Gray should have played on goal, in which case the official's mistake would have been significant, but the pbad was played behind him.

35 minutes: Arsenal has been terrible so far. Obviously, the game was given to them, but their own contribution was extremely small. "Let's have more fun!" Suggests Hubert O'Hearn. "How is Emery's Arsenal better than later Wenger? Monsters at home / helpless; intimid flat track / meat and drink contenders; clever but indecisive; and nobody knows what to do with Mesut Ozil. Discuss."

32 minutes: The free kick from Capoue is heading to the corner of the nets, but turned around by Leno!

31 minutes: Hughes runs from his half to the edge of the D, then falls. I did not see any fault, but the referee saw it.

30 min: "I could not be more neutral on this match if I was a Swiss, named Heidi, but honestly, never a red card," says Hubert O'Hearn. "To quote the late Jimmy Cannon about the" invisible knockout "in Clay v. Liston II:" I was at the edge of the ring, I saw the punch, and it was not there. would not have crushed grapes. "

I think if you crush someone in the face, it's still a bumpy one.

28 minutes: It's quite amusing. We can only imagine how it could have been fun if Watford had not fallen to 10 men.

26 minutes: Arsenal counterattacks and briefly scores a three-on-one, but Iwobi launches and knocks on Cathcart. When the ball comes back to him, he shoots a shot that Foster sends over the bar!

26 minutes: Watford is at the top right now. They win a corner and, as he arrives, Leno pushes Gray. Watford wants a penalty, but does not have one.

25 minutes: Key Deeney quotes here the story of "cojones" from last season. "Let me hit first and see who wants it" is a perfectly decent tactic, unless the referee notices it:

I have to watch what I say, but it's [having] a few cojones, that's what I'm going to say. Every time I play against Arsenal, I'll go up and think, "Let me hit first and see who wants it."

24 minutes: A chance for Watford! Gray escapes from the left, but Monreal sees that Doucoure has burst into the area and is ready to clear the tie rod.

22 minutes: Torreira wins another free kick and has become very unpopular with local fans. I still think the decision to send Deeney was the right one. "Troy Deeney's interesting fault," says Gary Naylor. "I suspect (and I think Deeney has already said this in the past) that he tested the waters with an early 'orange', fully expecting a yellow to come in. That's not the case, and rightly, falls into the drawer "too intelligent half".

20 minutes: The free kick is raised in the area, it comes from Kabasele and falls to Cathcart, whose volley is saved!

19 minutes: Watford gets his first free kick of the match when Torreira drops Capoue. "From! To! Off!" Shouting fans to the house.

17 minutes: Iwobi goes down on the left and center, Aubameyang reaches it at the first post, but the ball deviates away from Cathcart.

17 minutes: It was a breathtaking implosion of Watford, who had started the game so well but had offered his opponents a goal and a man advantage. Weird decision making by two very experienced players.

14 minutes: Hughes attacks Mkhitaryan, who collapses on the ground and rolls to hold his ankle. The referee tells him to get up, so he stops rolling, gets up and moves away completely.

12 minutes: I think it's not a terrible call. Deeney pbaded Torreira and pushed his forearm against his opponent. It was not very violent, but it was totally useless.

11 minutes: The referee, or his badistant, saw something that the cameras did not see. There was apparently a coming with Torreira. Arsenal claims that there was an elbow and that the referee pulled out a red card!

11 minutes: Aubameyang has closed the goalkeeper well, but it's only a hideous goal to concede.

Arsenal takes the lead, and it's an absolute gift! Janmaat is back at Foster, whose first contact is mediocre and whose game strikes the ankle of Aubameyang and bounces in the goal!

8 minutes: The ridiculous collapse of Xhaka when Masina gently puts a palm against his back gives Arsenal a free kick and a little respite.

7 minutes: It's a good start for the locals, who seem to win every 50/50 challenge, as well as 60/40 and 70/30.

5 minutes: This leads to a Watford corner, from which they exert pressure on Arsenal's defense for a time, until Hughes scores a wide end.

4 minutes: Femenia slightly surprises Gray and Mavrapanos abandons her to end a very promising attack in Watford.

2 minutes: Gray closes Leno and forces the keeper to play a panicked game. The crowd roared.

Arsenal is in their third kit, which, for those who have not seen it, is "a modern green basic color with marine details".

Javi Gracia has a pre-match discussion. He says his team will start with a back three, which is a significant departure for him:

With the players we have, we can change their form during the match. It depends on different circumstances. [Emery] has come to see us several times but I think it is not the most important to know each other. The most important thing is what happens on the pitch and at that moment, the main protagonists are the players. I think we will see a good match and I hope we will have a good result in the end for us.

I think the absence of Pereyra and Deulofeu is very significant for Watford. The Argentine has been in a mediocre form for a good part of the season, but one or the other of these players can summon a goal at any time. Without them, his attack is rather prosaic.

Here is the update of the Press Association based on the news:

Arsenal made six changes to his Premier League clash in Watford, while Konstantinos Mavropanos made his first start since May.

The Gunners will face Naples in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final and will travel to Italy to defend a 2-0 lead.

Unai Emery is likely to have an eye on this match with debutant Mavropanos as well as other recalled players, Shkodran Mustafi, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Alex Iwobi and Bernd Leno, while Granit Xhaka has recovered from a needle problem to include.

Watford made four changes to his FA Cup semi-final victory over the Wolves with the arrival of Ben Foster, Christian Kabasele, Daryl Janmaat and Adam Masina.

Moody photo of the day at sunset:

Good statistics of Bill Edgar in this morning's Times: If Watford does not beat Arsenal tonight, it will be the first game of three consecutive seasons with the same teams in the top six places (in any order).

Six changes for Arsenal, including Bernd Leno in the goal. Ozil and Lacazette both fall on the bench.

The Watfords have also changed a lot: Adam Masina is at the back left, Christian Kabasele is at the back and Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu are not in shape.

These are the teams of today:

Watford: Foster, Janmaat, Kabasele, Cathcart, Masina, Femenia, Capua, Doucoure, Hughes, Deeney, Gray. Subs: Gomes, Britos, Mariappa, Success, Sema, Chalobah, Navarro.
Arsenal: Leno, Mustafi, Koscielny, Mavropanos, Monreal, Torreira, Xhaka, Mkhitaryan, Ramsey, Iwobi, Aubameyang. Subs: Cech, Elneny, Lacazette, Ozil, Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Kolasinac.
Arbitrator: Craig Pawson.

Watford won the game last year, thanks to a 2-1 victory, sealed by Tom Cleverley's strike, which prompted Troy Deeney, the scorer of his team's other goal that night, to say his sermon on Arsenal and their problem with "cojones". So the gunners will want to make amends for that.

Arsenal won their home game against Watford in September, two goals in three minutes behind, earning them a 2-0 win. They had only two shots on target (Watford had five) and most observers said the visitors should have won. The Hornets will want to make amends for that.

Then there is the question of form on the outside of Arsenal this season. They have the division's third-best home performance, accumulating three points less than Liverpool at Anfield and four points less than Manchester City at Etihad. Nine teams gained more points on the outside (though Arsenal played two games away on the outside than most top flight teams) and three of the Gunners' five wins at the Outside were won against teams in the relegation zone. The top ranked team they beat at home this season is Bournemouth, 12th. So, they will want to make amends for that.

It must be taken into account that the managers are former teammates, having spent a year together at Real Sociedad, and members in good standing of a mutual appreciation society. "He's a good friend and it's a pleasure to see him again, we are very close," said Javi Gracia. "We sometimes discuss football and spend time together. We had dinner, their coaches and with our coaches, "said Unai Emery. "These are my friends, not only Javi Gracia, but also his badistant, Zigor Arbadde and Iñigo Arteaga."

In addition, Watford wants to finish seventh and be fit for the FA Cup final next month, while Arsenal wants to rank among the top four. So, to sum up, there are many things to do. Should be a good one