No party for Partey in his return from AFCON as he added yet another dismissal to an awful red card record for Arsenal.
The Arsenal midfielder was sent off just minutes after coming on in their Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Liverpool. Shockingly, this means the Gunners received red cards in both legs of the semi-final matchup, and highlighted their awful red card record under Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal 0 – 2 Liverpool
Once again, Arsenal came up short against one of England’s top sides as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup. After frustrating Liverpool to a 0-0 draw at Anfield, the Gunners’ confidence going into a home second leg was high.
Arsenal started the game brightly. French attacker Alexandre Lacazette struck the bar from a free kick, with the North London club looking threatening. However, Liverpool took the lead against the run of play thanks to Diogo Jota.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 77th minute, Jota lifting the ball over the onrushing keeper to seal Liverpool’s place in the final. The clinical quality of the Merseyside squad had again proved too much for the youthful Gunners team.
Unfortunately, things would go from bad to worse for Arsenal. Midfielder Partey was given two yellow cards within three minutes of each other.
Unwanted red card record
Partey’s dismissal means Arsenal have received three red cards in their four matches of 2022 – a terrible start to the year. Gabriel’s red card vs Manchester City on New Year’s Day gave the Gunners an unenviable record too. They are the first team to reach 100 red cards in Premier League history.
The red card record looks even worse when you consider that Arsenal have only scored once in 2022. It is clear that their ill-discipline is deeply affecting their play. The Gunners were arguably better than Man City in their 2-1 loss; the sending off completely flipped the game on its head.
Furthermore, Xhaka’s sending off so early into the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final immediately put his side into damage limitation for the rest of the game. Arsenal have an abundance of talent to test the top sides, but keep shooting themselves in the foot.
Lacking discipline?
Arsenal’s red card issue is clear for all to see. Since Mikel Arteta took over the side, they have received 14 red cards. Shockingly, this is nearly double the second placed side on the ill-disciplined record, which is Southampton on eight.
Obviously, having so many more dismissals than your fellow competitors is a concerning place to be. It is well known that Arteta has tried to bring through younger talent to rebuild the club. However, more experienced players such as Granit Xhaka and Partey are the ones ending up suspended. This must raise serious concerns for the Arsenal manager. If they want to compete for the top four, Arsenal are going to have to keep all eleven players on the pitch more often.