Petr Cech Injured in Arsenal's 2-0 Win over Watford in Premier League

Arsenal stretched their Premier League win streak to five matches on Saturday with a 2-0 triumph over Watford at the Emirates Stadium.

Hornets defender Craig Cathcart opened the scoring in the 81st minute by putting the ball in his own net, and Mesut Ozil doubled the lead shortly after to secure the three points.  

Petr Cech suffered an injury in the first half, handing Bernd Leno his Premier League debut.

The Gunners' poor start to the campaign is now truly in the rearview mirror, and they'll enter UEFA Europa League play against Qarabag with plenty of confidence.

Despite Cech's Early-Season Form, Emery Has to Stick With Leno

Cech's outing against Watford came to an early end due to an unfortunate injury, as the veteran stopper went off just before half-time and was replaced by summer arrival Leno.

He had enjoyed another solid match until that point, and one onlooker felt for the 36-year-old, believing the setback may just be what causes the seemingly inevitable switch to Leno as the No. 1:

The German is clearly the better fit for the team due to his superior passing, and with a phenomenal save from a Troy Deeney effort, he showed he can match Cech in terms of shot-stopping ability:

Cech doesn't deserve to lose his spot in this fashion, but he wouldn't be the first veteran to play well and still be demoted due to other factors.

The story of Wally Pipp comes to mind: The baseball player for the New York Yankees took one day off with a headache and never regained the spot he gave up to future Hall of Fame slugger Lou Gehrig.

Leno is younger and a better fit for Emery's team―this switch was going to come at some point, and the coach needs to stick with the new man.

Ramsey Can't Let Contract Saga Impact his Performance

Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey made headlines this week for his ongoing contract saga, with the latest reports suggesting he won't be signing a new deal at the club and will instead depart as a free agent, per John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

Any time a saga like this takes place in mid-season, the question turns to whether the player can keep it from impacting his play on the pitch. Given Ramsey's excellent start to the season, it was especially pertinent in this case.

Unfortunately, it would seem the Welshman can't. On Saturday, he was all but invisible for much of the first half, with his main contribution being taking the captain's armband from Cech.

There was more than a hint of irony:

His struggles continued in the second half, and Emery took him off just past the hour mark, opting for Alex Iwobi as the team searched for a goal.

The 27-year-old can't let matters off the pitch dictate how he performs on it. If his form regresses, it will only hurt his position in negotiations with the Gunners or other clubs, and that's the last thing he needs at this point.

What's Next?

Arsenal face Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday. Watford will be back in action on Saturday against Bournemouth.