It was essentially a panicked clearance, but two flicks of Mesut Ozil’s left boot made it look like a well-measured pass.
On Sunday, Petr Cech, wary of Crystal Palace's pace on the break, had positioned himself relatively high up the field when his Arsenal teammates won a corner. As Palace cleared the danger through James McArthur and Wilfried Zaha, Cech, clearly unnverved by the sight of Jason Puncheon bearing down on him, smashed the ball forward to ensure Arsenal would not be caught cold on the counter.
It appeared as if it would just run harmlessly behind for a goal kick, but Ozil had other ideas.
Having got on the wrong side of Pape Souare, the German stretched to prevent the ball from crossing the byline before swivelling and backheeling it past the Palace left-back in one motion, winning his team a free kick as Souare tried to contemplate what had just happened.
It was an extraordinary piece of skill from a world-class player who is continuing his progression from a tangential, peripheral figure into someone who is at the very heart of Arsenal's bid to win their first Premier League title in over a decade.
There were never any doubts about Ozil’s ability to conjure such magical moments, even at the lowest points of his hitherto two-year-old Arsenal career.
The criticism of the German – which was particularly strong during his debut Premier League campaign but also resurfaced at times last season – instead tended to focus on his failure to transfer such isolated moments into something more substantial.
Indeed, while nine assists in 2013/14 suggested he was making an impact, there was little evidence of Ozil running games in the way that other central creators such as Manchester City’s David Silva so regularly do.
In a sense, it is perfectly natural that Ozil did not immediately hit the ground running.
The frenzied nature of the Premier League can take some getting used to; Ozil’s colleague Alexis Sanchez may not have required a period of adjustment when swapping Spain for England, but that is because his bustling style of play corresponds more neatly with the Premier League’s.
The languid, nonchalant Ozil, a player who glides rather than sprints across the pitch, was less of a natural fit.
Arsenal were not necessarily built to play to his strengths, either: with Sanchez still at Barcelona and injury-hit duo Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain managing just 15 Premier League starts between them, the Arsenal of Ozil’s first campaign were lacking the pace and off-the-ball vertical running on which the German, 26, thrives.
Arsene Wenger’s side’s increased capacity to hit opponents on the counter attack has helped bring out the best in Ozil. It was a feature of Arsenal’s play in Sunday’s 2-1 win against Palace, just as it was when they triumphed at Selhurst Park by the same scoreline in February.
Ozil frequently carried the ball forward on the break, helping his team to transition quickly from defence to attack when the ball was turned over. He invariably made intelligent decisions in such situations, helping Arsenal to take advantage of the ample room that an open Palace outfit afforded them.
It was Ozil’s cross that led to Olivier Giroud’s opener, for example, while excellent passes to Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey could have resulted in further goals for the visitors.
His movement without the ball was typically impressive, too, opening up passing angles and space for his teammates to exploit. Ozil was at the heart of everything good about Arsenal, something that has not always been the case since his move from Real Madrid in September 2013.
Ozil remains an understated and ethereal talent, but he is also becoming increasingly decisive. If Arsenal are to win the title this term, they need their World Cup-winning playmaker to continue to produce the form he has shown so far in 2015. It could well make the difference.
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