Former Newcastle and Burnley midfielder Joey Barton thinks that Arsenal star Mesut Ozil was an easy scapegoat in the defeat to Stoke.

The German playmaker attracted criticism for his performance in the 1-0 defeat at Bet365 Stadium, but Barton thinks that the criticism was wrongly aimed at the 28-year-old.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Barton said: "He is the easy person to pick on.

"His skill set is in a different area, creating goals and giving other players opportunities.

"It was a bad ball from Granit Xhaka [for the Stoke goal] and then he compounds the mistake by leaving the centre of the park.

"But you have to give Stoke credit - it is a great finish by the kid."