Mesut Ozil has had an up and down time at Arsenal, but on a results-basis, the playmaker may not have had a better game than his performance Wednesday.
Ozil returned to the lineup after missing out against Burnley due to illness, looking to help the Gunners solidify their hold on fourth place in the Premier League as they hosted Huddersfield Town.
An Alexandre Lacazette goal gave the Gunners an early edge but it was four minutes of brilliance from Ozil that truly sent Arsenal on their way.
In the 68th minute Ozil set up substitute Olivier Giroud for Arsenal’s second. A minute later, he provided the helper on Alexis Sanchez’ goal to make it 3-0 for the Gunners.
And then in the 72nd minute, Ozil decided to take matters into his own hands, scoring to make it 4-0 on an assist from Aaron Ramsey — the Welshman’s second assist of the contest.
Ozil has certainly had influential performances before, but from a pure statistical standpoint, this may well have been his best in an Arsenal shirt. The Germany international had never contributed to three goals in a single Premier League game before his sparkling performance against Huddersfield.
And Ozil wasn’t the only Gunner to stand out on the night, which ended in a resounding 5-0 Arsenal victory.
Giroud came on after halftime, but as he has often done for Arsenal, made a big impact as a substitute. The Frenchman not only bagged Arsenal’s second, but completed his brace by scoring Arsenal’s fifth goal of the contest late on.
Opta notes Giroud is now on 16 goals scored as a substitute, the fourth-highest in the competition.
The victory means Arsenal move four points clear of Tottenham while keeping pace with third place Chelsea, and Giroud may be pressed into a starting spot with Lacazette having limped out of the win on Wednesday.
The sparkling form of the Gunners attackers will be put to the test this weekend as they face off against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United side at the Emirates on Saturday.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
