Arsenal fans praise Thomas Partey despite Southampton defeat in FA Cup

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Arsenal saw the defence of their FA Cup crown end prematurely on Saturday afternoon with defeat to Southampton – but some of the club’s fans on Twitter were still massively impressed with their player Thomas Partey.

Last year’s cup winners Arsenal were dumped out this season’s competition by Premier League rivals Southampton at St Mary’s.

Gunners centre-back Gabriel got an unfortunate touch on the ball to net an own goal in the first-half and the Saints ultimately held on to progress to the next round with a 1-0 scoreline in their favour.

Mikel Arteta won silverware last season by lifting the FA Cup as Arsenal manager, but now he’ll be concentrating on the league and Europa League.

He decided to rest a few key players against an opposition that played most of their big hitters.

A selection of Arsenal supporters on social media felt that substitute Partey was a shining light for their team in defeat.

The 27-year-old midfielder was introduced to the action just before the hour mark and added a bit more creativity to the XI, as he tried to be positive and get the ball forward quickly.

His time at the Emirates Stadium has been wrecked by injuries so far, but he arrived from Atletico Madrid extremely highly rated.

One fan suggested he’s the best Arsenal player since ex-star attacker Alexis Sanchez, but current Gunners ace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang may think differently.

Here are some Arsenal fans discussing Partey:

https://twitter.com/160_Swiftly/status/1352972656111460352