‘We practised a lot' - Odegaard reveals Partey's stunning north London derby goal for Arsenal was planned on the training ground

• Midfielder opened scoring vs Spurs
• Fired home from edge of the box
• Pre-match plan executed perfectly

WHAT HAPPENED? The Ghana international midfielder broke the deadlock for the Gunners in stunning style against arch-rivals Tottenham as he fired into the top corner from the edge of the box. He was given far too much space by a deep-lying defensive unit and, after being teed up by Ben White, made no mistake when executing a pre-match plan perfectly.

WHAT THEY SAID: Gunners captain Odegaard has told the club’s official website of practising the routine that led to Partey firing home from distance: “It was a great goal. We knew before the game he was going to be free in those areas and we practised that a lot, to find him in those areas, and he made a great shot. I think he played a great game as well so a lot of credit to him, and of course the team.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mikel Arteta’s reaction to Partey’s goal suggested that Arsenal had worked on finding the midfielder in space on the edge of the penalty area, as he pointed wildly at his coaching team during jubilant celebrations.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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DID YOU KNOW? Partey scored his first goal from outside the box with what was his 65th such attempt for Arsenal (all comps.). Indeed, each of his three Premier League goals have come at the Emirates, opening the scoring on each occasion (October 2021 vs Aston Villa and March 2022 vs Leicester City also).

WHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL? A 3-1 victory for the Gunners has kept them at the top of the Premier League table, with seven wins taken from eight games so far, and they will be back in Europa League action on Thursday against Bodo/Glimt.