Arsenal produced a dominant 3-0 win over Newcastle on Monday night that ranked as one of their best performances of the season.
Whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will get all the plaudits for his brace, and with Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka also receiving high praise after sterling displays, the tide could be turning for Mikel Arteta.
Central to Arsenal's comprehensive win was Thomas Partey. The midfielder was the glue that held everything together, and it was one of the Ghanian's best displays since his arrival from Atletico Madrid.
Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
📷 Thomas Partey: Match Snapshot
The 27-year-old was a steady, calm presence in the heart of the Arsenal midfield. At certain points in the game the play was fizzing around him, but Partey's languid manner and style slowed things down when necessary for The Gunners.
He completed 95% of his 58 passes against Newcastle, 20 of which were in the final third of the opposition half, and seven consisted of long passes.
Partey dictated Arsenal's tempo for long periods of the game, and produced the kind of performance that forced the club to trigger his £45m release clause from Atletico on the last day of the summer transfer window.
In a defensive capacity, the Ghanian also recovered nine balls, and intercepted three, showing that he's just as capable in retrieving the ball as he is in starting attacks.
〽️ Partey: Rating Week-on-Week
✔️ IMPROVEMENT
This performance was a return to form for Partey, after several mixed performance as of late.
His 7.6 FC Rating against Newcastle was his joint-highest of the season thus far, and a marked improvement from the 6.7 FC Rating he earned in his last outing against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal fans will hope the 27-year-old maintains this kind of performance in the second half of the season, as they aim to climb up the table.
🗝️ Key Stats
Thomas Partey match stats
Statistic | Value | Notes |
FC Rating | 7.6 | |
Mins Played | 67 | |
Interceptions | 3 | |
Recoveries | 9 | |
Goals | 0 |
Partey: What Next?
Arsenal will hope there is more to come from Partey. The midfielder has struggled with injury this season, and hasn't really got going and put together a string of performances that we saw him produce on a regular basis at Atletico Madrid.
If he can stay injury free throughout the second half of this season, Arsenal could well rocket up the table.
Arsenal 3-0 Newcastle: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats