mbulelo smpofu
THOMAS Partey says Arsenal must quickly forget about Saturday’s momentum-stalling 1-1 draw at Brighton as attention turns to the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.
The Gunners’ Premier League title challenge was dented at the Amex Stadium after Joao Pedro’s disputed penalty wiped out Ethan Nwaneri’s first-half opener.
Partey admits Arsenal’s players were left deflated by a result which halted their winning run at three top-flight games and failed to put significant pressure on leaders Liverpool.
“We are sad, frustrated, everybody is down but that’s part of football,” he told arsenal.com.
“We wanted to win, we wanted to keep the momentum going and at the end of the day, we didn’t get it.
“But it’s also a positive one because we did not lose. We have to try our best and win these games because they’re the most important ones, but it’s not an easy game against a good side and to win here you have to be perfect.
“We need to forget (about Saturday) and keep on working hard to win our next game.”
Mikel Arteta’s men start a run of five successive home matches on Tuesday evening by beginning their two-legged League Cup tie with Newcastle.
The Gunners then face Manchester United in the FA Cup third round, Premier League clashes with Tottenham and Aston Villa and a Champions League match with Dinamo Zagreb.
“I’m very excited, we have to prepare well,” Partey said of the visit of Eddie Howe’s Magpies.
“We know how difficult it is to play against them, the quality that they have, the players they have, we have to be ready for them.
“It’s going to be amazing; we know how big the supporters are and the big part they play in the games that we play, and we’ll need them for this game.”
Midfielder Partey filled in for the suspended Jurrien Timber at right-back on the south coast, while captain Martin Odegaard was only fit enough for a second-half cameo due to illness and top scorer Kai Havertz was again absent because of illness.
Siphakeme .Mnindwa
