Martin Keown reacts to Arsenal pair Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey’s displays

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Martin Keown has told Match of the Day 2 that Thomas Partey can do anything following Arsenal’s win over Manchester United on Sunday, while he also labelled Mohamed Elneny’s performance in the victory his best for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta’s side were superb at Old Trafford. They won 1-0, but they were dominant throughout – particularly in the middle of the park.

Elneny and Partey were superb together. Just one player won more tackles than Partey. Meanwhile, the pair led Arsenal’s passing statistics, with 113 successful passes between them (via Whoscored).

It appears that it could be a defining win for Arsenal under Arteta. Elneny has been excellent since coming back into the fold. And Partey has arguably only shown positive signs since arriving in the summer.

And following the game, Keown was full of praise for both players – making a particularly big claim about Elneny’s display.

“Elneny, probably the best game I’ve seen him play in an Arsenal shirt. Partey alongside. Finally, they’ve got the mobility in midfield, and someone alongside Elneny who can play,” he told Match of the Day 2.

“This boy Partey, he can do everything. The repertoire that he has of passes, of tackles, of pace. Finally, Arsenal now for me, have a top midfield.”

What is particularly remarkable is that Sunday’s game saw the first time Elneny and Partey have been on the pitch at the same time in the Premier League.

The pair had previously started together in the Europa League. But they had not played alongside each other in the top flight since Partey’s arrival in the summer.

Of course, many had high hopes for Partey. And he still deserves enormous credit for making such an encouraging start.

But Elneny’s form has been a revelation thus far. He looked to be a player that Arsenal could afford to lose in the summer as they looked to fund their summer plans.

But following Sunday’s victory, it is probably fair to say that he is starting to cement himself as one of the club’s most important players right now.