Despite Arsenal’s 2-0 lead over winless Watford, there was something in the air at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
Just ask Tom Cleverley.
“Arsenal were a bit tentative and we could smell that a bit,” said Cleverley, who scored one of two Watford goals
[ RECAP: Watford 2-2 Arsenal ]
What also stunk was Arsenal’s decision making in the second half.
On a day the Gunners were out shot 31-7 and being held in the match (again) by goalkeeper Bernd Leno, an elementary mistake by Sokratis Papastathopoulos and terrible block by David Luiz allowed Watford a 2-2 in Quique Sanchez Flores’ first match of his second stint as Hornets boss.
“I think the reaction of the players was the most important thing,” said Sanchez Flores. “It’s easy to be down when you are losing 2-0 to a team as good as Arsenal. But we never gave up and we tried to keep the energy. In the second half we played really well.”
Cleverley had a less shielded response to the comeback.
“I would have snatched your hand off for 2-2 at half-time but we should have won it in the end,” Cleverley said. “We can definitely build on this and go forward.”
