Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has urged his team-mates to quickly recover from the disappointment of a 1-1 draw against Brighton as they turn their attention to the crucial first leg of the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The Gunners saw their Premier League title ambitions take a hit at the Amex Stadium, where Joao Pedro’s controversial penalty equalized Ethan Nwaneri’s first-half goal. This result halted Arsenal’s momentum, ending a three-game winning streak.
“We’re sad and frustrated, and it’s hard not to feel dejected after such a result, but that’s football,” Partey told arsenal.com. “We were aiming for victory to maintain our momentum, but unfortunately we fell short.
“On the other hand, at least we didn’t lose. We need to focus on winning these critical games, although it’s never easy against a team as good as Brighton. To get a win here , everything has to be in place. We have to forget about Saturday’s game and keep moving forward for the next one.”
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Looking ahead, Mikel Arteta’s side face a tough run of five consecutive home games, starting on Tuesday against Newcastle in the League Cup double-header.
Next, Arsenal face Premier League rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup third round, accompanied by league matches against Tottenham and Aston Villa, not forgetting a Champions League encounter with Dinamo Zagreb.
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“I’m very excited about the next match; we have to prepare thoroughly,” Partey said. “We know how difficult it is to compete with Newcastle, given their quality and the talent in their squad. We have to be ready for the challenge. The size of our supporters is immense – they play a crucial role in creating the atmosphere, and we are definitely going to need their support for this match.”
Partey, who was forced to play at right back in the absence of suspended Jurrien Timber, reported a resilient spirit among his teammates, although captain Martin Ødegaard was limited to one appearance as a substitute due to illness, and star forward Kai Havertz remained sidelined with injury.
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Arteta also had to be without key players like Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, with 17-year-old Nwaneri forced off at half-time with a muscle problem.
Despite these challenges, the Arsenal boss is cautious about making impulsive decisions in the transfer market, highlighting the need for a considered approach: “We cannot base our recruitment strategy on the outcome of a single match, which is influenced by multiple factors We hope to be in a more favorable position on Tuesday – we will see how it goes.
Brighton, for their part, managed to find a positive with their second-half performance, which marked their sixth draw in an eight-game winless run dating back to November. Ahead of an FA Cup tie against Norwich and league clashes with Ipswich and Manchester United, Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler has stressed the importance of consistency.
“Beating a team like Arsenal requires more than one good half. We have to maintain high intensity for 90 minutes and perform as we want from the start,” commented Hurzeler.
