The real Mesut Özil arrived at San Siro to keep one Arsenal dream alive | Nick Miller

Too often notable by his absence, Mesut Özil showed the skills that can make him a world beater against Milan

When Brighton beat Arsenal to push Arsène Wenger and his miserable band of men even further into their palace of sadness last weekend, Mesut Özil was nowhere to be seen.

It was easy to reach for the old argument that when Arsenal needed this outrageously talented playmaker the most, he was notable by his absence. It has been a vacillating debate ever since Özil arrived in England in 2013, between those who have fallen for his gilded skills and others irked at his ostensibly casual manner.

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