Mesut Ozil was subbed on for the injured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain early in the first half and didn’t disappoint.

READ MORE: Ozil gives clearest indication yet he will sign new deal at Arsenal

The German, who’s just returned from illness, put in a top performance, even managing his first assist since Arsenal narrowly beat Burnley 2-1 January.

Despite not being fully back to his exquisite best, the playmaker showed huge signs of getting there, completing 72/77 passes, giving him a success rate of 94% – the second highest – with 87 touches. He also had two shots, and grabbed an assist for Alexis Sanchez’s goal.

It was brilliant to see both of our best players linking up well again.

During the first half, Ozil appeared to be trying to pick Olivier Giroud out but in the second his attention shifted to the Chilean.

As you can see from the German’s heatmap, he was everywhere. His movement was fantastic.

mesut ozil lincoln heatmap

Although this was just Lincoln, building up the players like Ozil’s confidence is paramount.

Bonus read: Ozil’s shoulder-barge making Chris Sutton cry.

Stats via Who Scored.