Arsenal's Mesut Ozil Outshone by Chelsea's Former Gunner Cesc Fabregas

There were many different facets to this clash between Arsenal and Chelsea. It was a meeting between the Premier League’s two remaining unbeaten sides. It was a face-off between Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho—one that boiled over in to a heated touchline confrontation.

It was also a chance to directly compare two of Europe’s most celebrated playmakers: Cesc Fabregas and Mesut Ozil. On this occasion, it was undoubtedly Fabregas who came out on top.

Arsenal had the chance to sign Fabregas this summer but decided he was not a priority. Given the way he has started the season with Chelsea, that appears to have been a huge mistake. With plenty of Premier League experience already behind him, he has hit the ground running. No player has created more goals in 2014/15 than the cultured Catalan midfielder.

He made a telling contribution against his former club, too. Although Fabregas’ close friend Mathieu Flamini kept him quiet for long spells, he only needed a moment to make his indelible mark on the match.

The game was finely balanced at 1-0 when Fabregas launched a superb long pass beyond the Arsenal back line. Diego Costa raced onto the ball and finished with customary aplomb to seal the victory.

Ozil, by contrast, was awful. His form had appeared to be recovering after encouraging displays against Aston Villa and Galatasaray. However, when faced with elite opposition he wilted.

Big players should come to the fore in big games.  This was a fairly tight match, with little between the two teams. The match was ultimately decided by two moments of magic: a brilliant slaloming run from Eden Hazard to win a penalty and that sumptuous Fabregas pass.

Arsenal looked to Ozil to deliver a moment of equivalent significance, and he came up short. That’s tolerable. It happens. What will have disappointed Arsenal fans most about this display is that he couldn’t even manage the basics.

Ozil was stumbling over the ball, trapping it out of play and dribbling into crowds. He would prefer to play through the middle rather than out wide, but his deployment does not explain a string of basic errors.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

He was repeatedly shrugged off the ball by opposition defenders. Against sides like Chelsea, he simply has to be more robust. He is a top athlete with pace and power at his disposal. He needs to use them if he is going to impose himself upon the Premier League.

Meetings between the top four sides are a grand stage on which marquee players should relish playing. Instead, Ozil looked like he’d rather be pretty much anywhere else.

It was staggering that Ozil managed to stay on the field until the full-time whistle blew. When it came time for Wenger to make changes, Santi Cazorla and Jack Wilshere both found themselves replaced. Their shaking heads betrayed their disbelief that they’d been hauled off before the disappointing German.

Arsene Wenger had admitted he rejected the opportunity to sign Fabregas because he had Ozil at his disposal. This match made a mockery of that decision.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2014/15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.