Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey have given Arsenal the ballast they were lacking for so long

[ASFN Admin]

There were 91 minutes on the clock at Old Trafford when Mohamed Elneny took a deep breath, gathered his strength and set off on one final sprint. Hair bouncing in the wind, he tore upfield after the ball and followed it from one Manchester United player to the other, hounding and harrying until, eventually, Victor Lindelof panicked and lost control. On the touchline, Arsenal’s substitutes and coaching staff rose as one to cheer their midfielder. Not because this exhausting charge was a defining moment of the match, but because of what it represented: sacrificing yourself for the team, fighting until the end, leaving it all on the line. “What Mo transmits to the team is special,” said Mikel Arteta a few minutes later. “He has this energy as a person. He goes in the room and he creates that atmosphere. I like players who have zero ego, who play for the team, who want to contribute regardless of what it is, whether that’s one minute or 96 minutes or just by being there and giving positive feedback all the time.” Alongside the magnificent Thomas Partey, Elneny provided defensive intelligence, quality on the ball and unrelenting commitment. This was Arsenal’s first victory away to a ‘Big Six’ side since January 2015, and it was largely built on the efforts of two midfielders who had previously played just 90 minutes of football together. United started the match with four central midfielders to Arsenal’s two. But not one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s players could offer the same level of energy or physicality that Partey and Elneny provided for the visitors. Throughout the game, the Arsenal pair won the little battles that ultimately enabled the team to win the match.

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