Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Friday urged star midfielder Mesut Ozil not to dwell on his costly squandered penalty against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The German playmaker had an opportunity to put Arsenal ahead in Wednesday's last 16 first-leg match with an early penalty, but his tame spot-kick was saved by international team-mate Manuel Neuer.
After Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had been sent off, Bayern went on to prevail 2-0 through second-half goals from Toni Kroos and Thomas Mueller, leaving the reigning champions in a commanding position ahead of the second leg on March 11.
Ozil subsequently apologised for his performance on Facebook, but Wenger says that he expects the 25-year-old to put the matter behind him.
"Is he over it now? Certainly not, because 48 hours is a short time to get over that, but it is part of the job as well to deal with disappointment and to show that you can respond to it," Wenger told a press conference.
"He apologised after the game, but I don't think people are shocked by the fact that he missed a penalty, because Bayern missed a penalty as well."
Wenger also defended Ozil's penalty-taking technique of a short run-up.
Ozil, a club-record STG42.5 million ($A79 million) signing from Real Madrid last year, was roundly criticised in the British media following a lacklustre display in the game.
Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov suggested that his poor performance may have been down to fatigue.
However, Ozil's team-mate and international colleague Per Mertesacker believes that the former Werder Bremen schemer is still finding his feet in north London.
"We have a lot of games here in England and everyone is tired, but it is not just up to Mesut," said the centre-back.
"Mesut has played a lot of games and he is a massive player. We need him at his best. Game by game, he will come back stronger."
Meanwhile, Wenger revealed that the club reprimanded Szczesny after he made an obscene gesture following his first-half dismissal for a foul on Bayern's Arjen Robben.
Szczesny could face a formal disciplinary charge from UEFA over the incident.
Arsenal, currently second in the Premier League table, host Sunderland on Saturday and will be without left-back Kieran Gibbs due to a hamstring injury.
