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Thomas Partey made a late appearance in Arsenal’s impressive 3-1 victory over Chelsea, which saw the Gunners return to the top of the Premier League table.
The Ghana international was not named in the starting lineup for the London derby, with Italian midfielder Jorginho preferred instead. However, after Jorginho’s decent performance, manager Mikel Arteta called on Partey for the final four minutes of the game.
Despite only having a brief cameo, Partey was able to celebrate with his teammates as Arsenal convincingly beat Chelsea and showed that they remain serious contenders for the title.
Partey’s recent slump in form has been attributed to his bench role, as the midfielder was less effective in the last four games in which Arsenal dropped points, including a 4-1 loss to title contenders Manchester City.
In Partey’s absence, Arsenal delivered a magnificent first-half display, racing into a 3-0 lead inside 34 minutes courtesy of two crisp strikes by captain Martin Odegaard and a scrambled finish by Gabriel Jesus.
Chelsea, who fell to a sixth straight loss under interim manager Frank Lampard, were thankful to goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga that the scoreline was not even more embarrassing and even pulled one back through Noni Madueke.
Despite the one goal conceded, Arsenal were never in serious danger and are now two points clear of Manchester City, having played two games more than their title rivals.
This win is a much-needed boost for Arsenal.