Partey explains why Arsenal thrashed Norwich

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has urged the club to keep up the momentum following their 5-0 hammering of Norwich City in the Premier League on Sunday and believes hard work was key to their eye-catching triumph.

A Bukayo Saka double and a goal each by Kieran Tierney, Alexandre Lacazette, and Emile Smith Rowe settled the matchday 19 fixture in favour of The Gunners away at Carrow Road.

The Boxing Day result keeps Mikel Arteta’s outfit in fourth position, while Norwich see their relegation woes compounded as they continue to occupy the bottom spot on the league table. Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, in that order, hold the top three positions.

"We feel very happy. This is a game we really enjoyed. We have had a couple of games now where the team is doing very well and performing and I think this is what we have to keep doing,” Partey, who saw 75 minutes of action and picked up a yellow card on 62 minutes, said after the game, as reported by his club’s official website.

"I think we are working harder, we are doing what we have to do, everyone is playing their role very well and that is the mentality that the coach wants us to play with and enjoy one the field and that is what we are doing.

"It is very enjoyable, I enjoy a lot playing with them," he added.

"They are good talents, a lot of people around that can play with them and they have a lot of quality in front of goal and they can score at any time, so it is a joyful moment playing with them.”

Arsenal have now made it four Premier League match wins in a row following two successive defeats by Manchester United and Everton.

Partey is set to play two more matches for Arsenal, their December 28 encounter with Wolves and their January 1 showdown with Manchester City, before leaving to join Ghana for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon.

So far, the 28-year-old midfielder has made 15 league outings for the Gunners, starting in all but one, and finding the back of the net on one occasion.