Arsenal will travel to the Parc des Princes next week to play Paris Saint-Germain, facing a 1-0 deficit from the first leg after a frustrating night in north London
Arsenal supporters have hit out at Thomas Partey after the midfielder missed the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Partey watched the 1-0 defeat from the stands at the Emirates Stadium after picking up an unnecessary suspension in the previous match.
Mikel Arteta was forced to rejig his side for the home leg, with Partey joining injured players Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus on the sidelines. Arteta fielded Leandro Trossard up front, with stand-in striker Mikel Merino dropping back into midfield alongside Declan Rice.
Ousmane Dembele scored the game’s only goal, finding the bottom corner from a cut-back in the opening stages after finding space in the box. Both sides went close, with Gianluigi Donnarumma making crucial saves from Gabriel Martinelli and Trossard, while Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos missed late chances to double PSG ’s lead.
Arsenal fought back after PSG’s fast start and had a Merino header ruled out for offside. They weren’t far off, but the result left many Gunners supporters pointing the finger of blame at Partey, who was suspended due to a yellow card for dissent in the 85th minute of the 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the quarter-final.
“That Thomas Partey yellow card in Madrid looks more and more stupid with every passing minute,” one fan wrote on X. Another added: “I’m actually raging at Thomas Partey. His stupidity got him suspended and created an XI with a gaping hole in midfield and an expectation on Rice to play two roles. Braindead.”
Others took a more optimistic view, focusing on what Partey will add to the team once he’s back for the second leg. “I think everyone has seen how important Thomas Partey is. There's no Artetaball without Thomas Partey,” one fan wrote.
“Can’t wait to get Partey back in midfield and allow Declan to run at that PSG team next week. Missed Thomas so, so badly last night,” another added.
Rice arguably carried Arsenal’s biggest threat, with his burst from midfield setting up Trossard’s one-on-one chance. But with no Partey to sit in holding midfield, his impact was limited from open play.
Asked if his side missed Partey on home soil, Arteta told Prime Video Sport : "I don't know, I think Declan and Mikel were enormous. [Partey] gives options and a different threat. It gives us flexibility to change the game. It's half-time and we have a big chance to be in the final."
Asked if the second leg would be 50/50 in his press conference, Arteta said: “I don't know the percentage, but we have a lot of chances to be in that final. As I repeat myself, you have to do something special in the competition to have the right to be in the final. And the time to do it is going to be in Paris.”