Ghana midfielder Thomas Partey played a key role as Arsenal was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, August 31, 2024.

Partey, 30, was included in Mikel Arteta's starting lineup for the match at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal started brightly and took the lead in the 38th minute when Kai Havertz finished off a beautiful through ball from Bukayo Saka, chipping goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to make it 1-0 at halftime.

Despite being the dominant team, Arsenal faced a significant challenge early in the second half when Declan Rice was shown a second yellow card for allegedly preventing Brighton from taking a quick free kick.

The red card shifted the momentum, and Brighton capitalized on their numerical advantage just before the hour mark. Joao Pedro scored on the rebound after David Raya saved Yankuba Minteh’s initial effort, leveling the match at 1-1.

Partey has now appeared in all three of Arsenal's games this season, contributing one goal.

The former Atletico Madrid midfielder is set to join his Ghanaian teammates next week as they prepare for the opening matches of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola and Niger.