Arsenal fans on X have criticized Thomas Partey after he had a poor performance during their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. The Gunners dropped points in their Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, January 18.
Thomas Partey made a massive error in the 33rd minute, conceding possession to Ollie Watkins. Fortunately for the former, Watkins couldn't keep his effort on target. Arsenal then broke the deadlock two minutes later via Gabriel Martinelli's deft finish. Kai Havertz made it 2-0 in the 55th minute with a close-range finish as Leandro Trossard bagged his second assist of the game.
Youri Tielemans headed home in the 60th minute to get Aston Villa back into the game before striking the woodwork a minute later. Things went from bad to worse for Arsenal after Partey failed to track Watkins, leading to the latter scoring an exceptional volley (68') to ensure the Villans secured a point.
Arteta deployed Partey at right-back with Mikel Merino playing as the No. 6. However, the 31-year-old lost possession 18 times and struggled to mark Ollie Watkins on multiple occasions, one of which to Villa's leveler.
One fan posted:
"Thomas Partey is the stupidest player I've ever seen. That pass to Martinelli that fell to Trossard... Martinelli was SO clearly offside. It was impossible for him not to be. And he wasted pressure by playing it anyway."
Another fan tweeted:
"Partey has 0 positional awareness PRAT. He’s cost us so much this season."
Other fans reacted below:
"That’s awful defending, Partey loses his man way too easily," one fan commented
"Partey at fault for both goals but his stupid fanbase love gaslighting everyone," another added
"Not gonna lie, can’t wait to see the back of Partey," one fan admitted
"So so poor. Partey just completely leaves his man. He’s been abysmal," another chimed in
"Partey is a hideous turnover machine. He either gives away a goal or he gives he opponent cheap possession and we have to fight for our lives to get the ball back," one fan posted
How did Arsenal fare during their 2-2 draw against Aston Villa?
Arsenal's title aspirations were dealt a massive blow after Aston Villa came back from two goals down to secure an impressive draw. The Gunners are second in the Premier League standings with 44 points from 22 games, six points behind leaders Liverpool - who have a game in hand.
The Gunners dominated possession with 66 percent of the ball, completing 428 passes with an accuracy of 88 percent. Meanwhile, Emery and Co. had 34 percent possession and completed 193 passes with an accuracy of 73 percent.
Both sides hit the woodwork once, but Arsenal also had more chances up front, landing 17 shots in total with six being on target (xG of 1.32). In comparison, Aston Villa mustered eight shots in total, with four being on target (xG of 1.06).
Disclaimer: The above stats were taken from FotMob on January 19, 2025 at 1:25 AM IST. They are subject to change.