Premier League | Watford 1-3 Arsenal

Santi Cazorla, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil secure visitors first 

win of the season

• Santi Cazorla opened the scoring for Arsenal on nine minutes from the penalty spot

• Alexis Sanchez doubled their advantage on 40 minutes with a close-range finish at Vicarage Road

• Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil made it 3-0 before half-time with a bullet header

• Roberto Pereyra  pulled one back for Watford on 56 minutes with a left-footed strike

By Sami Mokbel for The Mail on Sunday

You spend £50million only to discover the answer's 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 XI, Mesut Ozil won this 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 were furious with referee 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

Move for Alexis Sanchez's goal to double Arsenal's lead

Having returned back to training just a week before the season due to his Euro 2016 exploits with Germany, manager Arsene Wenger has resisted the temptation to start with his midfield magician.

He could resist no longer here at Vicarage Road and the result: Arsenal's first three points of the season. Coincidence? No chance.

This team ticks when Ozil's plays. Arsenal are good without him; but not quite the same.

Ozil's return saw Francis Coquelin drop out from the side that started last weekend's draw against Leicester.

Wenger's opposite number, Walter Mazzarri, handed Younes Kaboul and Christian Kabasele their Premier League debuts for the Hornets.

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

It took eight minutes for Ozil to make an tangible impact on this routine win for the Gunners; his inch-perfect floated pass into Alexis Sanchez forcing Nordin Amrabat into a reckless challenge on the Chilean.

Watford were perplexed by referee Kevin Friend's decision to point to the spot, the confusion would have waned once they watched replays of the incident – Amrabat catching Sanchez with an elbow as he jumped into the Arsenal forward.

Brainless. And the challenge got what it deserved as Santi Cazorla drilled the penalty past Heurelho Gomes to give Arsenal the lead.

In fairness to Watford they responded well. Petr Cech spared the blushes of team-mate Laurent Koscielny, who directed Amrabat's cross towards his own net in the 25th minute before Troy Deeney stabbed wide moments later as Arsenal failed to clear the danger.

 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

 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

Odion Ighalo and Etienne Capoue both passed up opportunities to shoot with decent sights of goal, instead choosing to pass before Kabasele headed narrowly wide in the 35th minute.

But these 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 sidekick Sanchez.

Following a mesmeric run through Watford's defence, Sanchez exchanged passes with Ozil but couldn't locate a team-mate with the final pass.

Next time, though, Sanchez wasn't quite as wasteful as he extended Arsenal's lead in the 40th minute, tapping home Theo Walcott's cross at the back post.

 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

Sebastian Prodl made a gallant effort at a goalline clearance – but Sanchez's finish had clearly crossed the line.

Walcott then forced Gomes into a save just moments before the break following the impressive Granit Xhaka's raking pass.

Watford would have been happy to go in 2-0 down at that stage; Arsenal were purring. No such luck though as Ozil nodded home his side's third after Sanchez's quite brilliant cross on the strike of half-time.

Watford's miserable afternoon nearly compounded nine minutes into the second half; Hector Bellerin tormenting Kaboul down the right before firing a low cross across the face of goal that no Arsenal player could manage to get a decisive foot on.

Another goal would have represented the end game for Watford but instead they were back in it moments later.

 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

Roberto Pereyra, a summer arrival from Juventus, and Daryl Janmaat, who signed last week from Newcastle, were both handed their Watford debuts as early second half substitutes; Mazzarri shuffling his pack in an attempt to get back into the game.

It worked a treat as his substitutes combined to give Watford hope; Pereyra cooly slotting home after Koscielny failed to deal with Janmaat's cross.

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

Had Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played a square pass into the path of Walcott or Sanchez instead of trying to score with a delicate chip then Arsenal would almost certainly have their fourth after a run full of pace and power from Bellerin.

The Gunners had Cech to thank for keeping their two goal cushion in tact in the 69th minute, the keeper denying Jose Holebas' long range effort before saving Ighalo from the rebound.

 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

Wenger had seen enough; bringing off Ozil and Oxlade-Chamberlain in place of Jack Wilshere and Mohamed Elneny as he looked to stem Watford's attacks.

They kept coming, though, this time Ighalo firing narrowly over the bar with an acrobatic overhead kick after Arsenal failed to clear Holebas' long-throw.

Cech then denied substitute Issac Success with a header in the 78th minute as the pressure continued to build on Arsenal's back-four before Valon Behrami fired wide from the edge of the box.

Eventually, Watford's rally run out of puff as the Gunners sauntered home.

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