Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey shows why he is underappreciated, under-fulfilled and a better midfielder than Jack Wilshere

Both players have been unlucky with injuries but Ramsey is a better attacking midfielder, far more dangerous to the opposition, and with more real achievements to his name

There are some things that in this team only Aaron Ramsey can do. Those forward runs off the ball, that instinctive nose for goal, that quality of finishing when he arrives in the box. Arsenal have no one else quite like him, that direct, that relentless, always top of their running stats, and over the past 10 years they have always played their best football with Ramsey in the team.

That has been true again this year, even if much of the season has been a familiar tale of muscle strain frustration and a slightly unclear role, neither centred in midfield nor fully free to play as he wants. But to see him slice through Everton with his February hat-trick, or to almost repeat the same feat tonight, is to watch a uniquely dangerous midfielder who is as important as ever to this team. In a team where everyone wants the ball to feet, Ramsey’s running is even more valuable and more decisive.

From the first few minutes it was clear that Ramsey was in the mood, playing a sharp one-two with Ozil, bursting into the box and finishing, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside. But Ramsey is never easily discouraged when he has goals on the brain and soon enough he put Arsenal ahead, finding space at the back of the box to receive Hector Bellerin’s cross and finish with power.

That was good but Ramsey’s second goal was more difficult, more impressive and more characteristic of how he plays. Breaking into the box, springing the softest offside trap between Sergei Ignashevich and Georgi Schennikov, he ran where he knew Ozil’s chipped pass was headed. The ball looped onto the outside of Ramsey’s right boot, and even in mid-air he imparted just enough pressure to divert it up, over Igor Akinfeev and into the net. A finish of supreme technique and confidence, built on plenty of physical effort too.

From that point on it became a quest for Ramsey to bag a hat-trick, what would have been his second of 2018. It was remarkable, given the positions he got himself into, that he did not get it. He nearly scored at the start of the second half, sliced over again soon later and then hit the far post from just inside the box with 13 minutes left. The frustration was obvious, as it would be for any goal-hungry player who could easily have scored four or five.

But while the precise winning margin of this low-key first leg is quite important, there is a bigger question over Ramsey that Arsenal need to answer. Which is whether his unique skills and importance to the club is truly appreciated, whether this is the best platform for him, and whether he will stay beyond the length of his current contract, which has just one season left on it.

Of course it is not Ramsey but Jack Wilshere – his fitness, his future – which occupies far more of the attention around Arsenal this spring. What is his best role? Will he sign a new deal on reduced terms? Will he be fit enough for the World Cup? Is he back to his best, a standard he last reached in 2011, which now feels like a football lifetime ago.

Ramsey impressed in Arsenal’s midfield (Getty Images) (Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Here tonight, Wilshere worked hard, snapped into tackles and played a pass in the build-up to Ramsey’s opener. But he had nothing like the impact that Ramsey did with or without the ball and was taken off before the end. While the pair were similarly talented teenagers at the start of their careers, there can be little doubt now that Ramsey has surpassed Wilshere as a player.

Both players have been unlucky with injuries but Ramsey is a better attacking midfielder, far more dangerous to the opposition, and with more real achievements to his name: more good performances, more goals, two winners in FA Cup finals and better international performances to his name too, after taking Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.

But there is still something underappreciated and slightly under-fulfilled about Ramsey, who at the age of 27 is approaching a crossroads in his career. Given all his gifts and energy, it is fair to ask whether he would be a better player now had he been somewhere else for the last few years, working for a manager like Jurgen Klopp or Mauricio Pochettino who could make the most of his talent. But with Ramsey entering his final year here and the club anxious he may run his contract down, there is still a possibility an undervalued player may yet get that chance.