Mesut Ozil Starts for Arsenal vs. Brighton: Highlights and Twitter Reaction

Arsenal welcomed midfielder Mesut Ozil back to their starting lineup for the FA Cup clash with Brighton on Sunday, having not started a match for the Gunners since October due to a crippling injury.      

As expected, there was a certain amount of pre-game pressure on the German star, with Bleacher Report’s Miguel Cominguez reflecting on how he had a lot to prove:

However, Piers Morgan always believed that he had enough about him to shine against the Seagulls, and he was proved right:

Ozil is the kind of player who can dictate games when given time on the ball, and Brighton allowed him exactly that.

Following Theo Walcott putting the Gunners ahead just two minutes in, Ozil’s time to shine arrived, and after an excellent ball through from Tomas Rosicky, the 26-year-old doubled his side’s advantage, as Oliver Kay of The Times revealed:

The finish was composed and, most importantly, clinical, via Betfair:

That led Bleacher Report UK to jest that his performances will now start to improve after failing to hit the heights in his Arsenal career, while also having a cheeky swipe at his questionable haircut:

The goal was indeed well taken, but it was also overdue, as the last time he found the net was way back in September, per WhoScored.com:

At 2-0, Arsenal looked like they were going to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup with minimal fuss, but Championship strugglers Brighton made a game of it.    

A 76th-minute strike by Sam Baldock for the hosts set up a tense finale at 3-2, and had the Seagulls been able to find an equaliser, Paddy Power reckon that Ozil would have been blamed... again:

As it was, though, the Gunners managed to hold on and the German put together an excellent performance considering his time on the sidelines. QPR star Jordon Mutch was as impressed as anyone with Ozil’s display:

The Gunners are often cursing their luck when it comes to injuries, but with Walcott and Ozil both back and firing on all cylinders, they can expect a push towards the top four in the coming weeks.

That starts with their clash against Aston Villa on Sunday February 1, where Ozil will once again be looking to give nightmares to a defensive line.