Rice's red card was the real major talking point of the game, with Arteta and Bukayo Saka both calling into question the inconsistencies of the referee when speaking to the press after the game. And while the Arsenal boss has every right to be frustrated, when the dust has settled, he'll also be unhappy with one of his other midfielders.
Indeed, Thomas Partey was culpable for the goal conceded in the 1-1 draw and he didn't perform particularly well throughout.
Partey Struggles vs Brighton
Poor on and off the ball
Arsenal's Thomas Partey is shown a yellow card by referee Chris Kavanagh
Viewers watching the game at home or in the stands would have noticed that the Ghanaian didn't look particularly strong on the ball and the stats certainly don't make for pretty reading on that front.
He finished the game having completed 19 out of 25 attempted passes (76%), this is far below the standard expected of an Arsenal midfielder. To put that in perspective, Rice completed 13 out of 13 (100%) of his passes on the day before his dismissal.
What's more, Partey – who nets £200k per week – struggled to dominate on the ball in other ways. He ended up finishing the game with just 39, which is fewer than goalkeeper David Raya (52). He also lost the ball seven times (three more times than Rice) and failed to have a single key pass.
Of course, some of his stats would not have been helped after the Gunners had a player sent off, but this should have given him ample opportunity to impress off the ball. Once again, however, he struggled. Partey won just eight out of three attempted ground duels, gave away two fouls (the joint-most on the pitch) and was also dribbled past on two occasions (once again, the joint-most on the pitch).
With a north London derby next up for Arsenal, there is every chance that Arteta would be considering dropping Partey against Tottenham. The midfielder will likely get the start vs Spurs, though, with Rice suspended for one game and new signing Mikel Merino out injured.Thomas Partey vs Brighton
Touches
39
Accurate passes
19/25 (76%)
Key passes
0
Shots
0
Ground duels (won)
8 (3)
Aerial duels (won)
1 (1)
Possession lost
7
Fouls
2
Dribbled Past
2
Total tackles
1
TNT Sports' Peter Crouch
Related
Peter Crouch Slams Referee for Missing Key Incident in Arsenal 1-1 Brighton
Ian Wright Slams Partey
Was "jogging" when Brighton scored
cropped-Partey-Ghana
Beyond just the stats, it seems as though Partey was guilty of switching off at one of the key moments in the game too. This was picked up on by former club icon and TV pundit Ian Wright who questioned his work rate during the build-up to the Brighton goal, saying:
“When you look at the play, you look at Thomas Partey…he’s [Pedro] literally run past him. Thomas Partey has to recognise in that instant he has to go all the way with Pedro and at least make a challenge. Pedro blasts past him and he’s just kind of jogging back.
“Those are the things that when you look back at that you’ll say well that could have been avoided. Maybe more pressure could’ve been put on Lewis Dunk cut that angle off and I think Partey’s got to cover Pedro.”
He wasn't the only one to notice the poor display, with Partey handed a 5/10 score in Charles Watts' player ratings for Goal. The journalist also noted: "Struggled in possession. Made some good recovery tackles, but was slack with the ball at times. Could maybe have been more alert to track Joao Pedro for the equaliser."
With all that said, Arteta will likely take issue with Partey on the training pitch this week when the squad review what went wrong for Arsenal against Brighton. As mentioned before, were it not for the Rice suspension and Merino's injury, the Ghanian probably would have played himself out of the starting lineup for the north London derby vs Spurs after the international break. As it happens, he'll get a chance to impress, an opportunity he must grasp with both hands if he wants to keep his spot in the starting XI going forward.
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