Mesut Ozil: How Arsenal’s forgotten man proved Unai Emery wrong against Liverpool at Anfield

When Mesut Ozil was taken off during Arsenal’s crazy defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night, with the scores level at 4-4, there was a real sense of bewilderment.

But that pales in significance to the wider confusion surrounding his absence from the side for the last five weeks.

Here was Ozil, featuring for the first time in six games, running the show and proving why Unai Emery needs to pick him every week.

The playmaker oozed class throughout the game, which Arsenal lost on penalties after a 5-5 draw in normal time, providing so much of the subtle, game-changing quality which Arsenal have missed in recent games.

There were two key passes in the build up to Lucas Torreira’s equaliser, a brilliant through-ball before Gabriel Martinelli’s second and a wonderful flick for Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ strike.

And it was that final piece of skill which symbolised what Ozil is all about.

It was the sort of thing very few players in the world would consider, with most surely trying to belt the ball home from the angle.

The German sees things that other players don’t, and while his work off the ball may not suit Emery’s philosophy, his quality is worth it.

In the defeat to Sheffield United and the draw against Crystal Palace, the Gunners were crying out for something a little more considered and nuanced.

You could argue that Ozil’s inclusion in a No. 10 role left the Gunners more open, which is probably why Emery decided to take him off for Matteo Guendouzi with half an hour remaining.

Shape and energy is prioritised over style under Emery, but tonight Ozil proved why there’s always room for his kind of stylishness on a football pitch.

Ozil is a player who often defies logic and so did the game at Anfield on Wednesday night.

In what will probably go down as the most exciting match of the season, Liverpool edged the ten-goal thriller to make it through to the quarter-finals.

Joe Willock thought he’d won it with a strike worthy of the occasion, but Divock Origi equalised in the last minute of stoppage time to send the game to penalties.

And the hosts won the shootout 5-4 as Caoimhín Kelleher saved Dani Ceballos’ spot-kick, allowing 18-year-old Curtis Jones to win it.