Arsenal dropped points for a second-straight Premier League game after a 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were without Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori, but they came up with a credible performance.
Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber were both substituted with injuries. This contributed towards Liverpool scoring a late equaliser.
Despite the stalemate, there were a lot of positives to carry forward.
Saka continued his stellar form with his 11th goal contribution from as many outings while Mikel Merino bagged his maiden goal for Arsenal.
Declan Rice had a good outing and delivered two sumptuous crosses into the box. Merino could have easily scored a brace on another day.
However, we believe Thomas Partey was the Gunners’ best player on the pitch despite starting from a makeshift right-back position.
Before the start of the match, some Arsenal fans would have been concerned over the Ghanaian coming up against Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.
However, the 31-year-old silenced any critics with a splendid defensive showing. Partey won a stunning 13 duels with four successful tackles (80%).
Partey completed 87% of his passes with 76 touches. He lost possession on multiple occasions and made up with recoveries, interceptions and clearances.
Diaz had the better of Partey on one occasion. Other than that, the Colombian was hardly a threat. He was replaced by Cody Gakpo who faced the same fate.
The £17 million-rated star has been with Arsenal since the summer of 2020. He has fared well in several appearances, but has let down the team with his injuries.
Partey has managed to stay unscathed from the start of this season and he has become an undisputed starter under manager Mikel Arteta as things stand.
His current deal expires at the end of the campaign and this has probably brought the best out of him.
Arsenal are bound to evaluate Partey’s form and fitness over the coming months before deciding whether to consider a possible renewal beyond next summer.
