Arsenal manager Unai Emery has admitted that he was impressed with the showing of Mesut Ozil during the club’s 2-0 league triumph over Newcastle United on Monday night. The former Germany international was afforded with his fourth consecutive start for the Gunners against the Magpies and he put in a solid display, which earned him the man of the match accolade.

Following the game, Emery was pleased with the performance of Ozil and stated that the German has grown fonder of adjusting to the tactical demands from the club, he told Sky Sports: “We were improving little by little and our first goal helped us a lot. Mesut Ozil has quality, when he can find the best performance for the team, he is playing like we want with the system and how tactically we want. He is giving us his quality. We are making progress in the table but we know it is difficult, Tottenham, Chelsea, and Manchester United are going to win a lot of games.”

Ozil did not create an assist or a goal for the Gunners on the night but he was simply sublime with his movement, which contributed towards a flawless attacking performance. Moreover, he was also better equipped on the defensive front with 12 ball recoveries and that should please Emery, who has regularly demanded more work rate from the former World Cup winner.

With the result, Arsenal have jumped to third in the league standings with 63 points and they are now two points ahead of both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United behind them. Still, they have a lot to do to cement the Champions League spot, considering five of the remaining seven games are on the road, where they have struggled through the campaign. Arsenal have celebrated the solitary win on their travels this year.