Watford v Arsenal: Premier League – live! | Football

27 min: Another shot from Partey, another goal kick. Tierney did well to tee him up, showing both grit and guile.

24 min: Again the free kick (by Louza) is on target, but again it’s no trouble for Ramsdale. Watford come again and Dennis shoots, sharply. Ramsdale can only parry it and Pedro almost pounces on the loose ball. Plenty of spark from Watford.

23 min: Watford advance again and Pedro picks up a cheap free kick, 22 yards out in the inside-right channel. Gabriel was a bit clumsy there.

20 min: Cleverley plays a couple of ambitious passes from left-half to the right wing, as if to remind us that he once played for England. Nothing comes of them, but Watford are showing intent.

17 min: It’s still very much end-to-end. Dennis crosses low into the box without finding anyone quite on his wavelength. Then Odegaard has come classy touches in the D, and Partey thumps in a shot – just wide.

15 min: Saka has been the man of the first sixth of the match. He’s spent the last minute giving a pressing masterclass.

14 min: A free kick for Arsenal, but nothing comes of it. They should still win this, but bang goes my theory about them staying fourth till May.

12 min: It was a scissor kick! Beautifully taken from near the penalty spot, giving Ramsdale no chance. Credit to Femenia for a chipped cross and Sissoko who had done well on the right, showing tenacity to the max.

9 min: Dennis wins a free kick for Watford, left-hand corner of the box. Hernandez shoots on target but without much venom, and it’s an easy catch for Ramsdale.

8 min: Saka again slices Watford open, setting up Soares for a cross from the TAA zone. He plays a nice curling ball in but Lacazette isn’t alert to it.

7 min: Arsenal are now knocking it around in lordly fashion. They’re fourth, and they could well stay there till May.

6 min: That was all about quick feet and quick brains – Odegaard playing a one-two, possibly three, with Bukayo Saka on the right and then slotting home from 12 yards or so. Too easy, but still very good.

Lovely move, neat finish.

3 min: Arsenal have some elegant possession but Watford, led by Sissoko, are getting stuck in. This may be the story of the next 87 minutes.

2 min: It was a crisp finish from Dennis, very Thierry Henry, and a lovely little through ball from Joao Pedro.

1 min: Dennis has the ball in the net! But the flag goes up.

The players take the knee and Tom Cleverley takes the first touch.

Watford are in yellow and black, Arsenal in red and white – but with red shorts. And quite a few red leggings too, as it’s bitterly cold.

The players emerge to find the crowd holding up yellow and blue placards, by way of solidarity with Ukraine.

A tweet! “Looking forward to the first part of a nice symbiotic double-header from ex-midfield foes Arteta and Lampard,” says Gary Naylor. “Arsenal help Everton today and Everton help Arsenal tomorrow.” Ha.

Arsenal must be doing well – they’ve just been praised by Roy Keane. From the start of the season, he says, “it’s been an amazing turnaround.”

Cristiano Ronaldo is out of the Manchester derby, according to Laurie Whitwell, who covers United for The Athletic. Whisper it, but that might just improve United’s chances.

Roy Hodgson makes three changes to a drawing team, bringing in Kiko Femenia, Cucho Hernandez and Joao Pedro. Mikel Arteta sticks with a winning team, as Emile Smith Rowe is still unwell.

Watford Foster; Femenia, Cathcart, Samir, Kamara; Sissoko, Louza, Cleverley; Hernandez, Dennis, Pedro.

Subs: Etebo, Masina, Kucka, Sema, Sierralta, Kayembe, Bachmann, Kabasele, Kalu.

Arsenal Ramsdale; Soares, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Xhaka; Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli; Lacazette.

Subs: Leno, Swanson, Holding, Tavares, Lokonga, Elneny, Hutchinson, Pépé, Nketiah.

Referee Craig Pawson.

Afternoon everyone and welcome to the match not a lot of people are talking about. On paper, this is a shoo-in. Watford are without their brightest spark, Ismaila Sarr, and they’ve been hopeless at home lately, losing seven in a row in the league. Arsenal, who can usually be relied on to be poor travellers, have won their last three on the road. Another win here will lift them from sixth to fourth, the spot that has had their name written all over it for weeks. The only thing that could then stop them staying there tonight is if Man United were to pull off a shock in the derby.

That said, there are glimmers of hope for Watford, who are fresh from a triumphant 0-0 at Old Trafford. They came close to something similar at the Emirates in November, with Arsenal winning by a single disputed goal (after they failed to return the ball to Watford, who had sportingly put it out). And that was before Claudio Ranieri was replaced by Roy Hodgson, who has done pretty well at spiking the Gunners’ guns. In his last six league games against Arsenal, all with Palace, he managed a win and four draws, with the only defeat coming in the meaningless month of May. A win today would lift Watford to 18th, level on points with Everton. They can but dream.