Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, thinks Thomas Partey gives the team more presence and stability.
Jorginho was replaced by the 29-year-old as Arsenal defeated Newcastle to increase their lead atop the English Premier League standings.
After a shaky first half, Arsenal dominated the second half thanks in large part to another masterful performance from Partey.
Following Partey’s performance in the second half of the 4-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates, Arteta praised his tenacious performance.
“I’m really happy. It was a game that we had in hand against an opponent that we knew was going to make life really difficult for us, and we expected that at Goodison. We started the game with some frustration and not really understanding what we had to do, allowing them to run in certain transitions, but after 25 minutes I think we started to get much better and the timing of the two goals was key,” said Arteta after the game.
“We needed a magic moment there and Alex and Bukayo produced that, and then I think the team grew, especially with Thomas because Jorginho wasn’t feeling good today. When he came on he really gave us some presence and stability to the team, and I think the second half was superb,” he added.
Partey was making just his second appearance after his injury in February.