Mikel Arteta defends ill-fated decision to play Thomas Partey in Arsenal loss to Liverpool

Thomas Partey only returned to the UK from the Africa Cup of Nations at midday on Thursday, then came off the bench for Arsenal against Liverpool only to be shown a red card for two bookings, but Mikel Arteta insists: ‘Wed had to play him.’

Partey’s Ghana side were eliminated early from AFCON and the midfielder was keen to return and be involved, although the weekend’s Premier League clash with Burnley looked a more realistic target.

However, Arteta chucked him into the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool in the 74th minute and he was dismissed just 16 minutes later.

Partey will now be suspended for the Burnley game, but Arteta has defended the decision to bring him on, saying that other players were tiring or on yellow cards themselves.

‘I do not regret, but I cannot use him now. It is what it is,’ Arteta told Sky Sports. ‘He made the effort to come, we had to play him.

‘Emile [Smith Rowe] has not had one single training session, Martin [Odegaard]as well, Laca [Alexandre Lacazette] had a yellow card. We had to make a decision and we decided to use him and unfortunately that happened.

Asked whether fatigue played a part in the red card, Arteta said: ‘I don’t think so.’

The Spaniard had been delighted with the commitment shown by Partey in wanting to be involved as soon as possible after disappointment in Africa.

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‘I am really pleased with that,’ Arteta said before the clash with Liverpool. ‘He shows his commitment. He was really disappointed to go out of the AFCON and straight away he said “I want to be involved.”

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