Mikel Arteta says £45m Arsenal star produced ‘one of the best performances’ he’s ever seen vs Sporting

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was delighted with his side’s performance against Sporting CP.

The Gunners were told by everyone that the game in Lisbon was going to be a tricky one. Even Manchester City suffered a humiliating defeat against the Portuguese champions.

Arteta had to get his tactics right, and the Arsenal manager’s plan worked perfectly.

Almost every Arsenal player performed brilliantly on Tuesday night, but Arteta was particularly impressed with one player’s display.

Mikel Arteta lavishes praise on Arsenal star Thomas Partey

Thomas Partey joined Arsenal for £45 million in the summer of 2020.

The Ghana international was Arteta’s first ‘world-class’ signing at the Emirates. Everyone knew his quality and some even described him as the missing piece in the puzzle.

However, Partey has had a number of injury issues at Arsenal over the years. That has really hurt the Gunners at times.

Now, Partey seems to have turned a corner. He has been free from injuries since the start of the season and his performances have been getting better and better every week.

Against Sporting on Tuesday, Partey arguably produced his best performance of the season. He was absolutely brilliant from start to finish and was one of the biggest reasons why the Gunners dominated the game.

Speaking about Partey’s performance, Arteta said after the win, as per Arsenal.com: “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.”

READ MORE: What Arsenal now plan to do with Thomas Partey’s contract situation after strong start to season

Thomas Partey’s stats vs Sporting are so impressive

Arsenal wouldn’t have been as good as they were against Sporting if Partey wasn’t playing in the middle of their park.

The likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard stole the show with their flair and ability in the final third, but Partey was the one who dictated the play.

In his 90 minutes on the pitch, the Ghana international had 72 touches of the ball and completed 60 of his 65 attempted passes, maintaining a very impressive 92 per cent passing accuracy.

Partey also won three of his five attempted duels, made two tackles and wasn’t dribbled past once by a Sporting player in the entire game (Sofascore).

We’re really happy with Partey’s performances for Arsenal this season. If he can keep this up for the rest of this campaign, the Gunners will win most games quite comfortably.