The ovation Thomas Partey received when his 73 minutes were up against Tottenham Hotspur was par for the course.
It was no less than the midfielder deserved after a showing that typified Arsenal’s all-round dominance against a side Gooners cannot help but loathe.
The 3-1 victory over Antonio Conte’s crew was justification for the growth Mikel Arteta’s men have shown since the last encounter between the clubs at the backend of last season when the Lilywhites got the better of the Gunners.
Partey opened the scoring for the Premier League leaders with a collector’s item belter from 25 yards that punished a Spurs side whose deep defensive shape, by and large, forced the Ghana star to shoot from that far out.
Apart from the goal, the former Atletico midfielder had one of his best performances for the three-time Premier League champions, exhibiting tenacity out of possession and intelligence with the ball to take Arsenal upfield.
No player outdid Partey’s progressive passes (eight) and progressive carries (16), and only Bukayo Saka (seven) and William Saliba (14) outranked the midfielder’s Shot-Creating Actions (six) and recoveries (11), respectively.
His understanding of the best positions to take in several phases of play gave the required balance to Arsenal’s 2-3-5 shape in possession and 2-2-6 structure at times after half-time when Ben White overlapped to overload the Gunners' right flank and Spurs’ left flank.
Admittedly, the overly negative approach from the visitors meant the hosts were on the front foot for large parts of the derby, while Emerson Royal’s dismissal left Conte’s crew in the lurch for an extended period.
Still, Partey’s instructive performance in front of the Emirates Stadium crowd further established the notion that the Black Star is the one player Arsenal cannot afford to lose to injury.
Ben White could provide cover for Arteta’s current centre-back pairing of Gabriel and Saliba, Takehiro Tomiyasu proved last season he is no slouch at right-back and Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko’s competition for that left-back berth is an observers’ dream.
Eddie Nketiah may be playing second fiddle to Gabriel Jesus at centre-forward, but 12 goals in 15 starts going back to last season and performances at the backend of 2021-22 suggest he will be a capable Jesus replacement if need be.
Arsenal's squad may be ill-equipped to combine Champions League football with a sustained Premier League challenge, but it seems to satisfy the demands of the Europa League and domestic overachievement.
But the Partey fears may never go away, as the requirements for thriving in that position require the intelligence, technical level and interpretation of the role lacking in any alternative at the club.
Indeed, it was telling that Arteta kept the Ghanaian unused Thursday night despite sending on Martin Odegaard, Jesus, Bukayo Saka and White in the 3-0 success over Bodo/Glimt.
Sunday’s Liverpool test represents a rite of passage of sorts, one which Partey and his teammates will back themselves to win despite their recent run in this fixture.
The former Atletico midfielder has played in three of the last four league meetings between the sides won by Klopp’s crew by an aggregate score of 9-0 (12-1 if the fourth encounter is included) but has arguably never underwhelmed or shied away from responsibility against the Reds.
However, there is a feeling this weekend’s encounter represents Arsenal’s best opportunity to end their wretched run against the side from Merseyside.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk have been censured incessantly, with Mohamed Salah’s dip in form flying under the radar.
In his defence, the Liverpool marksman seems to be applying himself to tactical instructions to play even wider this season, evidenced by the eye test and a comparison of this season’s pressure map with preceding campaigns at the club.
A look at Salah’s Expected Goals per 90 confirms the bias that the forward is not getting into high-percentage goalscoring positions like in previous seasons.
This year’s xG per 90 is 0.46, significantly lower than last season (0.71) and that record-breaking 2017-18 campaign (0.76). Interestingly, the Egyptian’s respective xG p/90 in 18-19, 19-20 and 20-21 were 0.52, 0.60 and 0.61, strikingly lower than those two highs but higher than this season’s value.
Salah has netted in two of the last three meetings with Arsenal, only firing blanks in the most recent encounter between the clubs, caveated by the fact he came off the bench in that 2-0 win for the Reds.
Much has changed since that meeting in the Spring, with Arteta’s men punching above their weight and intent on replacing Liverpool as Manchester City’s long-lasting challengers.
Another outstanding Partey performance on Sunday and the result, to boot, will give credence to that viewpoint.
Source: Goal.com