Arsenal edges Watford to jump back into Premier League’s top four

WATFORD, England — Arsenal benefited from a bizarre goal from a goalkeeping error and Watford striker Troy Deeney’s red card to claim a 1-0 win that lifted the team back into the Premier League’s top four on Monday.

The match was ultimately decided in the space of a few seconds in the first half, with Arsenal going ahead in the 10th minute when Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster dallied on a back pass, then slammed his clearance into the outstretched left boot of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The ball rebounded into the net from six yards.

Within a minute, Watford was reduced to 10 men when Deeney was sent off for elbowing Lucas Torreira in the face after the Arsenal midfielder had passed the ball to a teammate.

Arsenal was hardly convincing at Vicarage Road despite playing with an extra man for most of the game, but came away with a second away win since November to climb above Chelsea into fourth place on goal difference.

It was Arsenal’s first clean sheet in an away league match this season.

“We were competitive, but in the circumstances we can control the match better,” Arsenal manager Unai Emery said.

“We didn’t make it easy to score the second goal. We did not control the ball in the attacking third.”

Aubameyang, playing his first full season in the league, moved to 18 goals and is only one behind top scorers Sergio Aguero of Manchester City and Mohamed Salah of Liverpool in the race for the Golden Boot. Liverpool’s Sadio Mane also has 18 goals.