Mesut Ozil hoisted the hood up on his coat as protection from the cold and sat down with Sead Kolasinac on the floor next to the away dugout at Anfield. The Liverpool fans close to the front of the stand had requested the players sit down so they could see the goal where the penalties were taking place in front of the Kop and they complied.



The fist pumps that greeted each of Arsenal’s successful strikes suddenly changed when Dani Ceballos’s effort was repelled. Ozil’s head dropped to his knees. Quite an evening to be reintroduced to the intensity of football away from the seclusion of the training ground.



All that was left was some applause for the visiting fans before he retreated down the tunnel. The game was done. On to the next has not been a sentiment Ozil has been able to utter for a while. But whatever justifications Unai Emery might have had for banishing him for so many weeks of this season, an unshackled Ozil attacked them with each...