Arsenal lost at home, dropping their second place in the table.

The 1-2 defeat at home dealt a major blow to Arsene Wenger's team's title ambitions.

Arsenal suffered a shocking defeat at home. Photo: Reuters.

Goals: Kaboul (10'), Deeney (13'), Iwobi (58').

This was a match where manager Wenger was absent from the dugout due to a disciplinary suspension following an altercation with the referee. The defeat meant the London team missed the opportunity to close the gap with the league leaders, as Chelsea drew with Liverpool in this round.

Furthermore, Arsenal lost their second place in the table to Tottenham, even though their rivals only managed a draw away at Sunderland in this round. For Watford, this was their first victory against Arsenal in the English top flight since 1988.

In the 10th minute, center-back Younes Kaboul delivered a shock to the home team with a free-kick goal from 30 meters. The ball deflected off Aaron Ramsey, changing direction and leaving goalkeeper Petr Cech helpless.

Arsenal's attacking efforts were not enough to compensate for defensive errors. Photo: Reuters.

Three minutes later, things got even worse for Arsenal when Troy Deeney doubled the visitors' lead. Following a midfield loss, the Arsenal defenders were indecisive in their attempt to stop Etienne Capoue, allowing him to dribble into the penalty area and shoot. Petr Cech saved the shot, but the ball rebounded to Deeney, who easily tapped it into the empty net.

Besides the two goals, Watford also threatened Arsenal's goal several times in the first half. In the 34th minute, Petr Cech saved a header from Sebastian Proedl. Three minutes later, the veteran Czech goalkeeper once again saved his team by pushing away a shot from Daryl Janmaat.

Witnessing his players' poor performance, Arsene Wenger clearly showed his disappointment in the stands. After meeting with the manager at half-time, Arsenal played better. In the 50th minute, Theo Walcott faced Gomes after receiving a pass from Mesut Ozil, but his shot was saved by the Watford goalkeeper. Five minutes later, Gomes again made a clean save from Alex Iwobi's close-range shot.

Watford unexpectedly secured three points on a day when their opponents underperformed. Photo: Reuters.

The intense pressure that Arsenal exerted on Watford's goal was finally rewarded with a goal in the 58th minute. Iwobi tapped the ball past goalkeeper Gomes after a cross from Alexis Sanchez, reducing the deficit for his team.

However, in the remaining 30 minutes of the match, Wenger's players were unable to score another goal, even though in the 85th minute, Lucas Perez unleashed a powerful left-footed volley that hit the crossbar.

This defeat is not only a setback for Arsenal while their title rivals were held to draws, but it also affects the morale of Wenger's team ahead of their next away match against Chelsea. From now until the end of the season, Arsenal still have matches against Tottenham and Liverpool, making their path to winning their first English league title since the 2003/2004 season even more challenging.

According to VNE