Mesut Ozil did what was expected of him in Arsenal's win over Cardiff, says Unai Emery

Mesut Ozil did what was expected of him on his first start since Boxing Day in Arsenal's 2-1 victory over Cardiff, says Unai Emery.

Ozil was one of seven pre-match changes made by Emery, with Ozil captaining the Gunners to a 2-1 victory over Cardiff on Tuesday.

Arsenal 2-1 Cardiff: As it happened

On what was an emotional night at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal spent large spells on the back foot, with Ozil far from his influential best during his 76-minute cameo.

Ozil did manage to create the 500th goalscoring chance of his Premier League career but, when asked to comment on his performance, Emery was concise.

"He worked like we wanted," Emery said. "It was good."

Arsenal were fortunate not to go into the interval a goal behind, with Cardiff striker Bobby Reid spurning two decent chances in the first half.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got Arsenal off the mark from the penalty spot midway through the second period before Alexandre Lacazette wrapped things up seven minutes from time.

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"We are happy," Emery added. "The difference in the match was small details.

"We struggled a lot in this much but it's a very important three points. Newcastle won, Burnley drew with Manchester United and we won.

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"We played better in the second half, controlled the match and created more chances to score.

"Overall I think we deserved the result in the second half. We worked how we wanted. We are doing things our way and we are happy because our players worked a lot."

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