On the first day of the league phase, the Gunners went to Bergamo. The club got off to a good start at the Gewiss Stadium. In the first 30 minutes, they had four shots.
But after that, they had trouble and only tried two shots for the rest of the game. After halftime, Atalanta was by far the better team and should have scored.
Thomas Partey, a defender, gave the Serie A team a penalty, but David Raya, the custodian, made one of the best saves in the club’s history to keep his cool.
At first, the Spanish star stopped Mateo Retegui’s shot to his right, and then he dove full-length to stop the rebound. This term, Raya kept up his amazing form.
One thing that will be interesting to see is if Partey starts when Arsenal plays Manchester City. He was taken off soon after the penalty incident.
The player, who cost £45 million, played all 90 minutes in the club’s first four games, but yesterday, manager Mikel Arteta chose to replace him with Jorginho before the hour mark.
Only two of Partey’s five ground and air duels were won, which means he lost 60% of them. Only 79% of the passes he made were successful, and he lost the ball eight times.
This 31-year-old player gave the ball away several times in the middle of the pitch and also made the penalty kick. Even though it was gentle, he should not have touched Ederson.
When he came on to replace Partey, Jorginho wasn’t great, but he did make a few good saves. He might get to play first against the Citizens.
Two points are separating Arsenal and Pep Guardiola’s team at the top of the Premier League. This Sunday’s game could be a very important one for the title.