This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On October 30, 2019, Mesut Ozil made his third appearance of the season for Arsenal in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool, earning the title of man of the match.
Despite his impressive performance, which included two assists and a sensational touch that led to Gabriel Martinelli's second goal, Ozil was substituted off by manager Unai Emery in the 65th minute.
Liverpool went on to win the match 5-4 in a penalty shootout after the game ended 5-5.
Ozil took to social media to express his thoughts on the match, saying, "Crazy and incredible match. Losing on penalties is always tough, but definitely some positive things to take away from Anfield Road tonight. Thanks for the away support! Focus on Wolverhampton now!"
Emery defended his decision to substitute Ozil, stating, "He played as we want, with experience and his skill to help the team. We decided beforehand that it was better for him to have a rest. He worked really well for 65 minutes. In my mind is the possibility to use him again [in the Premier League]."
Emery also reflected on the match, saying, "We are sad but for our work, we deserve to have more. There are lots of positives to take. Defensively, both teams cannot be happy with that. But for the supporters it was an amazing 90 minutes. The result was always changing. It was spectacular."
