The first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final match against Paris Saint-Germain ended in a heartbreaking 1-0 loss at home. The Parisiens took a slim lead back to France thanks to a goal by Ousmane Dembele in the third minute, which was enough to drive a dagger into the hearts of the Emirates supporters.
After Mikel Arteta’s team had defeated incumbent champions Real Madrid in the previous round, there was a lot of confidence in north London going into the match. But after defeating Premier League winners Liverpool and Unai Emery’s Aston Villa in the previous knockout stages, the visiting club was also feeling upbeat going into the highly anticipated match.
After a quick attack by PSG, which saw Luis Enrique’s team go from behind to ahead in a matter of seconds, Dembele spread the ball wide to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and then swept it into the far corner after receiving it back from the Georgian. The Gunners’ supporters were silenced within seconds of the first whistle.
Alan Shearer Spots Glaring Absence in Arsenal’s Side
Thomas Partey’s suspension appeared to play a big part in PSG’s goal
Thomas Partey has been at the base for Arsenal’s first-choice midfield trio all season, with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard on either side of the African number five. However, Rice, who makes £200,000 a week, was suspended Tuesday night after receiving an unnecessary yellow card against Real Madrid, which infuriated him at the moment.
Rice returned to take Partey’s place, and Mikel Merino, who had been filling in as a makeshift center-forward in recent weeks, was requested to drop into a number eight position. It seemed that Partey’s specialized skills could have thwarted Dembele’s objective, even if the Englishman had a great deal of expertise in this role.
This was evident not only to viewers at home but also to the commentators. As part of Prime Sport’s coverage of the meeting, Alan Shearer noted that he believed Arteta’s typical midfield fulcrum would have prevented the goal. The former striker for England said:
In the third minute, I doubt they would have put the ball inside Dembele. I believe that Partey would have been present to sweep it up.
Thomas Partey’s suspension was railed by Arsenal supporters.
“It’s obvious that we are paying for Partey’s ignorance.”
During the game, fans quickly took to social media to describe how the squad had been forced to pay for the 31-year-old’s “stupidity,” leaving them angry by Shearer’s very argument. One commented: “That silly Thomas Partey yellow card has left us with a hollow midfield.”
“That’s the Thomas Partey effect showing clearly,” one fan said in reference to Dembele’s goal and the fact that no Arsenal player picked up the attacker on the edge of the penalty area. Another supporter added, “We are clearly paying for Partey’s stupidity.”
The midfielder’s decision to accept the booking after the Real Madrid match was already over infuriated not just Rice. As one fan put it on social media, “That Thomas Partey yellow card in Madrid looks more and more stupid with every passing minute.” Additionally, it was mentioned that in recent weeks, Rice and Merino were both ejected from their preferred positions:
“Our midfield has suffered greatly since Partey left. At 8, Merino is giving it his all, but Trossard and Rice at 9 are insufficient throughout the season. Because of that yellow in Madrid, we dropped two spots.”
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