Gunners break Hornet hearts
Young Dutch star Robin van Persie secured the win late on
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Tuesday, 26, Dec 2006 08:15
Arsenal moved up to third in the Premiership after finally overcoming a grittily-determined Watford side 2-1 thanks to a late Robin van Persie strike.
Arsene Wenger will have hoped that his talented side could dispatch their north London neighbours with relative ease, but in front of a packed Vicarage Road the struggling Hornets made up for their lack of technical ability with an abundance of energy and aggression.
Striker Ashley Young had already had a clear sight of goal with the visitors' defence looking nervous in the face of him and his boisterous strike-partner Tommy Smith, before Arsenal seized the initiative on 19 minutes.
Brazilian defensive midfielder Gilberto Silva's uncharacteristic run of goals continued with a routine header following Kolo Toure's flick-on from a corner.
But Aidy Boothroyd's side maintained their upbeat tempo and were justly rewarded within four minutes as Smith smashed home a Hameur Bouazza cross that found its way through a confusion of legs.
Goalkeeper Ben Foster's outstretched feet denied both Emmanuel Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky as the visitors gradually applied more pressure after the break, but there were still some jitters at the heart of the Arsenal rearguard to offer hope to the hosts.
Both managers gambled for the win with the introduction of attack-minded substitutes and it was one of Wenger's, Theo Walcott, whose pass picked out van Persie for the winner seven minutes from time.