Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal Vs Chelsea: 5 things we learned – What. A. Game.

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 03: Hector Bellerin of Arsenal celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 03: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal runs with the ball as Cesar Azpilicueta of Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 03: Mesut Ozil of Arsenal runs with the ball as Cesar Azpilicueta of Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on January 3, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

2. Mesut Ozil is majestic… again

I know I already highlighted the potency of Arsenal’s front three in this very piece. But I wanted to pay special testament to Mesut Ozil. He was the best player on the pitch on Wednesday and, frankly, it wasn’t all that close.

What was especially noticeable was the greater positional nuance and understanding that Ozil mastered over Tiemoue Bakayoko and N’Golo Kante. Time and time again, he was able to slip in between the Chelsea midfield and defence, collect the ball on the half-turn, and drive at an exposed and vulnerable back-three.

His statistics are not actually all that impressive — three key passes, a pass completion rate of 88%, just one shot, which was off target, just two dribbles, dispossesses on two occasions also. But they belie the whole story. If you were to watch, and not examine, you would see a player elegantly, masterfully gliding through a game that was under his graceful spell. This was Ozil at his very best.