Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has conceded he wasn’t at peak form during their hard-fought 2-0 triumph over Leicester City on Saturday. The Gunners, missing key figures including Kai Havertz and wielding Leandro Trossard in an improvised striker role, seemed somewhat off the pace at the King Power Stadium.

In a tactical shuffle, Mikel Arteta introduced Mikel Merino off the bench to spearhead the attack, a decision that proved golden as the Spaniard bagged a late double securing Arsenal the win.

Despite featuring for 76 minutes before making way for Jorginho, Partey took to Instagram acknowledging his subpar game but applauded the team’s collective effort saying: “On days when I’m not at my best, the strength of the team carries us to victory. Vamoooosss.”

In the end, it was Merino who shouldered the responsibility of clinching the result. Arteta, too, praised his substitute’s decisive contribution albeit admitting a stroke of fortune with Merino’s goal-scoring display.

Arteta shared: “I think the game started to suit him more because they started to defend much more deeper, and we had more momentum, more sequences, more set-pieces as well in that period. And we believed that he could impact the game,” adding that “We were lucky that he did it.

“We’re going to have to share that and we know that. We’re going to have various contexts, sometimes we’re going to have to make a sub because a player is not performing or because the opposition is doing something else or because he’s got a yellow card or he’s fatigued.

“And that’s going to restrict what we can do, really, in terms of the personnel. But we have prepared for different scenarios. Then those scenarios have to work. Hopefully, they will work as good as Mikel worked today.”

While it was Merino who captured the limelight, Partey has continued to be a vital cog in Arsenal‘s machinery during their quest for Premier League triumph this season. The midfielder from Ghana has been a mainstay under Arteta, starting 21 league matches and adding three goals plus two assists to his tally.

Partey, acquired for £45m back in 2020, has also been instrumental across other competitions, making an additional ten starts as the Gunners juggle their ambitions on multiple battlefronts.