Mikel Arteta has provided his honest verdict on Thomas Partey following Arsenal’s victory over struggling Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.
The former Atletico Madrid midfielder was handed his first Premier League start since making his injury return and produced a Man of the Match performance as the Gunners dismantled their London rivals on Tuesday, April 23.
The win handed Arsenal a huge boost in the Premier League title race as they have gained four points clear contender Manchester City, who have two games in hand.
However, Thomas Partey’s performance in Arsenal’s 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea drew acclaim from his manager Mikel Arteta.
The 30-year-old Ghana International has missed most parts of the season through injury, with the appearance against Chelsea only his second league start in eight months.
There was some concern that it might be too risky to play Thomas Partey straight back in this very important game but later proved to be what Arsenal might have been missing.
While goalscorers Leandro Trossard, Ben White, and Kai Havertz got a lot of plaudits, the efforts of defensive midfielder Partey did not go unnoticed.
After the game, Mikel Arteta poured praises on Partey, he said; “I don’t know, but then we would have won every game because look at the run we are in, the number of points we have already and we have missed Thomas, that’s true, since August and he’s a big player for us.”
“We thought it was a really good game for Thomas to come back. He looks like he’s in rhythm, he trained well in the past few days.”
“With the players they have we thought it was the right call to make. He stepped up. He had a great performance. He was really important for the team.”
He added; “We have missed Thomas since August, and he’s a big player for us, but that has given chances to other players. For Declan (Rice) to play as a No.6 and then rediscover him as a No.8.”
Arsenal’s midfielders have played an enormous role in their title race, hence, Partey’s performance may give Arteta a selection headache with the North London derby against Tottenham up next.
Injuries have hindered Partey’s chance in the Gunners squad this season, missing several key matches of the campaign but his recent performance against the Blues may be a wake-up call for other players contending for his spot on the team.
Arsenal vs Chelsea in brief
Arsenal thumped their London rivals on Tuesday night at the Emirates to move four points clear at the top of the Premier League and put pressure on title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool.
Leandro Trossard’s fourth-minute drive gave the home side a deserved half-time lead.
The visiting side were hoping for a comeback in the second half, but things took a turn for the worse. Ben White and Kai Havertz scored one after the other twice to make it 5-0 for the home side inside 70 minutes.
Nicolas Jackson had multiple chances in both halves to get Chelsea back in the game, but the striker failed to score and handed David Raya his 14th clean sheet of the season, leaving him just one win away from the Golden Glove.
Therefore, Arsenal currently sits in first position in the standings with 77 points, Liverpool secured second place with 74 points (with a game in hand) while Man City, on the other hand, currently sits in third place with 73 points (with two games in hand).
In addition, Liverpool will look to close the gap when they lock horns with struggling Everton on Wednesday, April 24, at Goodison Park.
What’s next for Thomas Partey and Arsenal?
It remains to be seen if Mikel Arteta will start Partey in their next Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, April 28 at 2:00 WAT.
