[ad_1]
On the day of the deadline, the Atlético de Madrid signing had his first start in an Arsenal jersey in Thursday’s Europa League opener in Austria, although the visitors actually fell behind on the night.
An error by Bernd Leno gave Rapid a first goal, though David Luiz equalized with an impressive header before substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang secured the 2-1 win and three points.
Despite a night of testing for the team, Partey stood out throughout the contest and both Keown and Owen Hargreaves were impressed by his defensive and offensive skills.
“Thomas Partey had one of the best debuts I’ve ever seen, honestly,” Hargreaves said on BT Sport after the game.
Keown, meanwhile, got lyrical about Partey throughout the game, saying at halftime: ‘I think you know when you see a player immediately add that touch of class, that he wants to play and makes things happen.
“It’s silky smooth, oozes class, and has been everywhere.”
After a compilation of Partey moving forward and opening attacks, Keown even compared the 27-year-old to arguably Arsenal’s best midfielder: ‘This is where he looks like Vieira to me when he travels with the ball and makes things happen.’ ‘.
Hargreaves added: ‘Everybody’s looking at him and that’s a 10 pass and he’s a sustaining midfielder.
“He has directed the whole game and it shows that he has been playing the Champions League because it seems too easy for him.
‘We saw before the entire range. Short, long, playing between the lines. Physically, that’s what it’s there for, a little steel.
“With the centrals, the boys put themselves in bad positions, don’t worry, there I am.”
MORE: Mikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s full debut at Arsenal after victory at Rapid Vienna
Follow Metro Sport through our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more stories like this, check out our sports page.
[ad_2]
