Thomas Partey’s challenge on Neto
Black Stars midfielder Thomas Partey has become a major talking point following a controversial challenge during Arsenal’s London derby against Chelsea on Sunday, March 16, 2025.
In an attempt to regain possession, the Ghanaian midfielder stamped on Chelsea attacker Neto before winning the ball.
Earlier in the sequence, Partey had clipped Enzo Fernández in a tackle, but referee Chris Kavanagh played the advantage as the ball fell to Neto.
After Neto lost possession, Kavanagh halted play, retrospectively awarded Chelsea a free kick, and booked Partey for his initial tackle on Fernández.
However, the referee opted not to caution Partey for the second challenge on Neto after replays showed that he had made contact with the ball first before catching Neto’s leg.
Despite this, some football fans on X (formerly Twitter) argue that the Ghanaian should have been sent off.
Arsenal eventually secured a narrow 1-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, with Mikel Merino scoring the only goal of the match.
Watch the video below:
Partey should’ve been off. “Got the ball first” bollocks he did #ARSCHE pic.twitter.com/p0NPcBcOYN
— Omid Djalili (@omid9) March 16, 2025
EE/MA
Also, watch the latest episode of Sports Check on GhanaWeb TV, featuring the return of the Ghana Premier League and discussions on national team ambitions
