'He's progressing': Mikel Arteta claims £45m Arsenal player had one of his best ever games last night

Today at 08:15 AM

Arsenal secured their third win of the UEFA Champions League group stages with a 5-1 thrashing of Sporting CP away from home.

Mikel Arteta’s side now have ten points from five games and are seventh in the table, giving them a fantastic chance of securing automatic qualification to the knockout stages.

It was a five-star performance from the Gunners as they took control of the game right from the get-go, but Arteta has singled out one key player for special praise.

Mikel Arteta lauds Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey

Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal all three points, while Goncalo Inacio scored what turned out to be a consolation goal for the hosts.

Sporting’s Morten Hjulmand hailed Kai Havertz after the game, but it was Thomas Partey who caught Arteta’s eye as he lavished praise on the midfielder’s performance.

Starting in midfield alongside Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, the Ghanaian was at the top of his game as he showed his class at both ends of the pitch.

Arteta said in his post-match press conference: “I think it's one of the best performances I have seen from him, especially the way he's dominated the game so that's the level he can play, he's progressing.

“This year he's been so consistent as well because he always has a role, that's a big thing, he's a massive player for us.

On the other hand, Arsenal fans felt Jurrien Timber was fantastic against Sporting, which is a sign that they really fared well as a unit.

Partey’s stats vs Sporting

It was hardly the toughest game of Partey’s career as Arsenal emphatically put Sporting to the sword, but the underlying numbers show just how assured the Ghanaian was in the centre of the park.

• 72 touches
• 60/65 passes completed (92% pass accuracy)
• 3/5 ground duels won
• 2 tackles won
• 1 key pass completed

Arteta confirmed that Arsenal will try to extend Partey’s contract, which expires at the end of the current season.

If he carries on performing in the same vein, the £45m Arsenal man likely to be kept on as a squad player at the very least in the coming years.