Arsenal

A dynamic forward line fired on all cylinders once again to ensure that Arsenal continue to control their Champions League qualification destiny.

He needs to continue to behave and live the way he is doing, nothing else." "They understand when to do what in relation to what the opponent is doing so this is good. The time Arsenal have had to work without European football -- and in their midseason break to Dubai -- is paying off. There was a joy to their play from the outset and a superb opening goal came in just the fifth minute. Cucho Hernandez's brilliant 11th-minute bicycle kick drew the hosts level and briefly threatened an upset, only for Saka to underline that his palpable talent is augmented by a fine work ethic. Bukayo Saka scored one and made another as Arsenal claimed a 3-2 win at Watford on Sunday to take another vital step forward in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.

The Norwegian has been in fine form for the Gunners recently since his permanent move from Real Madrid in the summer transfer window.

Aside from just being one of the best attackers at the Emirates, Odegaard is quickly showing himself to be one of the best out there in the Premier League. After being shunted around from position to position and spending an unexpected amount of time on the bench, things appeared to be taking a familiar path for Odegaard in his career. Eventually though, he managed to reclaim his spot in the team, starting the 2-0 win over Newcastle right at the end of November and he hasn't looked back since. When Xhaka returned for the North London Derby, Odegaard was back in his preferred more advanced position, but a serious knee injury for the 28-year-old that game meant that the Norwegian was forced to adapt his game once again matches against Brighton and Crystal Palace. Odegaard's best games during his loan spell in the back end of last season had come as a number 10 drifting to the right, and after being thrown straight into the starting XI in this position for the 6-0 Carabao Cup win over West Brom just 24 hours after his move to Emirates had been made permanent, it seemed this was where he would return. Fast forward to now though and Odegaard is arguably the most important player in the Gunners side, emphasising his tremendous run of form with a beautifully worked goal and two pre-assists in Sunday's 3-2 win over Watford.

Jonathan David and Renato Sanches have given Arsenal a reason to pursue both players after their celebration for Lille.

However, the 24-year-old put talks on hold because he is ready for a new adventure. Arsenal needs to sign a striker in the summer due to the likely departure of Alexandre Lacazette , as his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. Both players have been linked with a potential move to north London in the summer, as Mikel Arteta will look to strengthen in both the forward and midfield positions.

Mikel Arteta's side are now in pole position to finish fourth in the Premier League; Champions League qualification worth at least £50m in prize money to ...

A one-off bonus would be due to the squad for finishing in one of the top-four spots which is then divided among Arteta's squad. Some players are also understood to have clauses separately written into their deals which will see their weekly wages automatically increase for the campaign during which the club are playing in the Champions League group stages. Arsenal are one point ahead of United but crucially have three games in hand.

The Gunners are currently reaping the benefits of how a top-tier academy system can one day come in handy for first-team matters as Bukayo Saka and Emile ...

He still has a lot of competition in front of him. A regular for the U-18's, it is widely expected to only be a matter of time before he makes his way up the ranks and into the U-23's before eventually tasting first-team football in north London. “[Too much hype around him] is what we have to avoid. Mirror Football has taken a look at four of Arsenal's academy wonderkids to see who is the most likely to follow in the footsteps of the current Gunners fan-favourites. In what will make for welcome news in the eyes of the Gunners fanbase, the club are fairly confident the emergence of Saka and Smith Rowe will not be a fluke given the new generation of talent about to emerge. The Gunners are favourites in the eyes of many to snag the coveted fourth spot come the end of the season, which in turn would seal a return to the Champions League for the first time in five seasons.

Arsenal: 3 negatives from 3-2 win over Watford as Gunners move into Premier League top four with goals from Saka, Odegaard & Martinelli.

Exactly why that was can come down to a few reasons, one perhaps being the calibre of opposition. Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli were not working in tandem, with runners not being tracked down that side and some slack moments of concentration granting Kiko Femenia too many wall pass options to go on the overlap. But it was the shape overall that was found lacking. Passing the ball around slickly in the final third, out of possession was instead rather messy. Arsenal made this much tougher than it needed to be, especially since they controlled the game for such long periods, and the joy Watford found going down the left side was cause for some concern. Far from the most assured all-round performance against Watford, Arsenal nonetheless turned on the style in an attacking sense with three goals of the highest quality.