He stepped up against Chelsea - Mikel Arteta praises Thomas Partey's explosive performance

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta has praised Thomas Partey for his performance against Chelsea on Tuesday night.

The Ghana midfielder made his first start for the Gunners as they recorded a 5-0 scoreline against their rivals at the Emirates.

Partey was superlative with his performance as he lasted 72 minutes.

Speaking in his post-match interview, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta described Thomas Partey as an important player, adding that he stepped up to help Arsenal annihilate the opponent.

“We thought it was a really good game for Thomas [Partey] to come back, he looks like he is in rhythm, he trained really well the last few days, the way that they set up, the players that they have in and the way they attack especially, we believe it was the right call to make.

“He stepped up and had a great performance and was really important for the team,” Mikel Arteta said in his post-match as quoted on the website of Arsenal.

The victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night has taken Arsenal to the top of the English Premier League standings ahead of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Thomas Partey will hope to keep his fine performance intact when they travel to play Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday with kick-off scheduled at 13:00GMT.