The box-to-box midfielder had one of his best games since arriving in England as the Gunners continued their winning ways
Ghana midfielder Thomas Teye Partey was in full flight as Arsenal defeated Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 in the North London derby in Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The 28-year-old started the game in midfield alongside Granit Xhaka as Arsenal took the game to their visitors.
It was Smith-Rowe who shot Arsenal into the lead by the 12th minute after he connected a pass from Bukayo Saka.
Smith-Rowe then turned from a scorer to assist Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to give Arsenal the second goal by the 27th minute.
Arsenal ended the first half 3-0 up with Tottenham Hotspur wobbling and struggling to find their footing as Mikel Arteta’s tactics worked to perfection.
With eleven minutes left, Heung-Min Son pulled one back for Tottenham. They charged and pushed men forward for another goal but Partey and his teammates were resolute.
Last season, Partey, who had been rushed back from a thigh injury to start the North London derby, controversially walked off the pitch having aggravated the issue in the build-up to Tottenham’s second goal as Arsenal went on to lose 2-0 but this time, he was in full flight.
Before the game, Arteta admitted that Partey is his “anchor”. “He’s the one who reads what is happening and makes the rest better,” he said. “How he manages the transition, the pressing. He has charisma,” he added.
Thomas Partey showed just how important he is to this Arsenal team with a strong display against Spurs as he had 47 touches and one key pass. The Ghanaian scored 4/4 accuracy on long balls and 26/29 accurate passes.
Also, he won five out of the seven duels he was involved and made three interceptions and tackles respectively.
Partey missed Ghana’s World Cup qualifiers against Ethiopia and South Africa last month but he is expected to be available for selection when the Black Stars play their first game under new coach Milovan Rajevac against Zimbabwe on October 5.
However, he will likely miss the return encounter four days later in Harare.
By Evans Gyamera-Antwi
