"Waste of space in every aspect", "Leave him in Holland" - Fans call out Arsenal star despite their 7-1 win over PSV in UCL clash

Fans were unimpressed with Thomas Partey's display in Arsenal's UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 clash against PSV Eindhoven. The first leg ended in a 7-1 win for the Gunners on Tuesday (March 4) at Philips Stadion.

Jurriën Timber opened the scoring for Arsenal with a header after being set up by Declan Rice with a cross in the 18th minute. Ethan Nwaneri doubled the lead with a left-footed shot just three minutes later.

Mikel Merino netted the third goal for the Gunners in the 31st minute. Thomas Partey conceded a penalty after committing a bad foul on PSV's Luuk de Jong in the penalty area. The Ghanaian star also received his first booking of the match.

Noa Lang successfully converted the penalty with a right-footed shot, scoring the hosts' only goal of the match (43'). Martin Ødegaard netted Arsenal's fourth goal with a left-footed shot in the 47th minute. Leandro Trossard found the back of the net (48'), courtesy of an assist by Riccardo Calafiori.

Thomas Partey was replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 71st minute. Ødegaard struck again, scoring the sixth one for the Gunners through another assist by Mikel Merino in the 73rd minute. Riccardo Calafiori netted the last goal of the clash with a right-footed shot after being set up by the Norwegian star with a through ball in the 85th minute.

During his time on the pitch, Partey made 47 touches while not being involved in any key passes or having any shots on target. He won one of his two ground duels, made three clearances, and lost possession thrice.

Fans took to social media to criticize Thomas Partey for his performance in Arsenal's 7-1 win against PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Here are some of the reactions from X:

One fan wrote:

"Partey is such a waste of space in every aspect it is unreal, sh*t human, sh*t footballer. can f**k off with all his stans next season, can’t stand the c*nt."

Another added:

"I beg we jus leave Partey in Holland."

"Partey is the stupidest footballer I’ve ever seen," chimed in another fan.

One account wrote:

"Nah sorry I’ve long since had enough of Partey, he makes terrible decisions and we need to replace him, it’s been way too many now."

Another tweeted:

"The day Partey leaves this team would be the happiest I've ever been as an Arsenal fan tbf. I literally lost my head after his mistake."

"It’s always Partey man like what percentage of goals have we conceded because of him this season ? Bin him ASAP, Zubimendi needed," posted another.

One user wrote:

"Playing with Partey is literally a net negative, he shouldn’t be starting for us at all."

While another wrote:

"Partey shouldn’t be at the club, shouldn’t be playing, and shouldn’t be on the pitch. But even when he is, he finds ways to be a total liability to the club and the team. Useless footballer."

Thomas Partey has registered three goals and three assists in 40 appearances across competitions for Arsenal this season.

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Mikel Arteta on Arsenal's 7-1 win against PSV Eindhoven in UCL

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta shared his thoughts on his squad's 7-1 win against PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. During the post-match press conference, the Spanish manager was asked if he knew the Gunners would bag such a huge victory. To this, he responded (via Evening Standard):

"No. That’s the beauty of it, nobody in this room, if I give you an envelope and say: ‘Can you predict what’s going to happen tomorrow and who is going to score’, that’s the beauty of football. In football, and you do very well today, put your head down, be humble, analyse how you can improve. Because the next game is going to be completely different to this one, and nobody can write the script, unfortunately, even if we would like to."

While praising his players for their performance, Arteta also credited the opponents, mentioning PSV's win against Juventus earlier in the Champions League playoffs. He added:

"I really enjoyed the match. Thank you to the players for the performance that they put in. It was a big night for us against a really good side. The way they went through in the last round against Juventus was really impressive. The manner that we've done it, the way we played, the goals that we scored. Thank you because it was a special night."

Arsenal maintained a ball possession of 47% against PSV while having eight shots on target. The Gunners are set to face the Eredivisie side in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the Champions League on March 12 at the Emirates Stadium.