Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey branded ‘unforgivable’ by Gary Neville
Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey was described as “unforgivable” during the dramatic draw with Aston Villa, by Gary Neville.
The Gunners were leading 2-1 against Aston Villa, having led 2-0, before an Ollie Watkins goal, thanks to a defensive mistake from Partey, gave the Midlands side an equaliser.
Arsenal were in total control against the Villains, and their attacking dominance led to manager Unai Emery substituting his fullback Ian Maatsen at half-time.
However, in the second-half, it was an Arsenal full-back who had the spotlight shone on them, as Neville highlighted the defensive lapse from the Ghanaian.
Speaking on Sky Sports (7.06pm) Neville said: “You can see Partey marking Watkins, and then, its unforgivable really, that he just steps back out and doesn’t go with him. He deserved his goal”
Dropped points and wasted chances may cost Arsenal the Premier League title
Football Insider Verdict
Despite having 66% of the ball against Villa, Arsenal were only able to fashion two big chances against the Midlands side and without star man Bukayo Saka, Arsenal struggled.
Leandro Trossard performed well on the left-wing for the Gunners, but in spite of his goal, Havertz again hindered his side by wasting chances.
The game against Villa was yet another example of the North London side dropping points against teams they should be beating, as they drew against Fulham 1-1 (8 December), Everton 0-0 (14 December), and Brighton 1-1 (4 January).
Mikel Arteta will be well aware that this season is a real opportunity for his side to win their first Premier League title since 2004, with Man City performing uncharacteristically poorly this season.
Arsenal will likely look to replace Havertz as their starting striker soon, and have been linked with a “disappointed” Benjamin Sesko recently.
The Gunners will look to make up for their draw with Villa, when they face a struggling Wolves in their next league game on 25 January.
In other news, an Arsenal defender may be heading to Celtic in the January transfer window.
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