Thomas Partey has arguably been Arsenal's most important player this season as Mikel Arteta's men extended their lead at the top of the table to eight points with a North London Derby victory over Tottenham.
A number of Gunners stars delivered a fine performance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Martin Odegaard adding to his impressive goal-scoring run, while Aaron Ramsdale made a number of key saves to keep the score at 2-0.
That duo who impressed over the weekend can certainly stake their claim for the label of most important player, however there is one particular reason why Partey can be considered as Arteta's most crucial first-team star. The Gunners have lost just one game this season - coming at Old Trafford against Manchester United - and it was a fixture where Partey was absent with a thigh injury.
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The midfielder was also absent for the victories at Emirates Stadium over Fulham and Aston Villa with the issue, but his presence was greatly missed in the 3-1 defeat to Erik ten Hag's men.
However, Arteta and his team can now exact their revenge as they welcome United to the Emirates Stadium, where they have only not won twice this season, on Sunday afternoon. This time Arsenal will be able to call on Partey after he delivered a vintage performance against Spurs, which nearly saw him score a goal of the season contender.
Summer arrivals Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus have brought with them years of having winning experience from their time at Manchester City and Partey is no different, having won three trophies during his time at Atletico Madrid.
That mentality of accepting nothing but the best was perfectly on show in an interview Partey conducted in December 2021, 14 months on from his move to Arsenal. In the interview he was asked what he would rate his performances out of 10, with the Ghana midfielder awarding himself a four.
When asked if he was his own biggest critic, he said: "Yes, I think this is when you realise you have to get better, try to do the necessary things that will make you feel good & at the end, it’s confidence.
"When you have confidence you are able to do whatever you want to do and you'll be happy with yourself."
Partey struggled for fitness and form in his opening few months at the club, but in recent times has become the Arsenal lynchpin and it's clear to see he was going to reach these levels given his own expectations of where he should be.
Arteta has also played a key role in ensuring his squad have the perfect combination of youth, experience, character and quality. Now with an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, Partey will be eyeing his first trophy in England. And maybe an increase in his own personal rating out of 10.
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