Partey display gives Atletico Madrid Champions League victory over Liverpool

Thomas Partey put in a five-star performance as Atletico Madrid claimed a 1-0 win over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 at the Wanda Metropolitano on Tuesday evening.

Prior to the clash, the 26-year-old had said that Los Rojiblancos were used to coping with difficult situations.

They certainly did here, holding their nerve till the final whistle after Saul Niguez's fourth-minute strike.

Partey featured for the whole 90 minutes and gave a good account of himself by preventing Liverpool from finding the spaces they would usually penetrate to create goal-scoring opportunities.

The Ghana international was good on the ball, having 53 touches, 26 accurate passes (72.2%), two key passes and three successful long balls from seven.

Offense wise, he had three total shots and two successful dribbles from two attempts.

On the defensive side, the Atleti academy graduate won seven of 10 ground duels, three of three aerial duels and also made one interception and five tackles.

The return leg takes place at Anfield on March 11.

Atletico will now turn their attention to La Liga where they host Villarreal on Sunday.