Adebayor Comes of Age

As the 60,000 plus crowd in The Emirates Stadium waited for kick-off, there were plenty of Arsenal fans anxious about the absence of captain Thierry Henry. After all, losing a world class player for an important game is always difficult – especially when that game is the North London derby against a Spurs side keen to make their first visit to Arsenal’s new home an embarrassing one for the hosts.

As things turned out, the Gunners’ faithful needn’t have worried. Arsenal played brilliantly and Emmanuel Adebayor in particular was absolutely outstanding. His energy, movement, control and distribution were exceptional and in the 19th minute he took his goal (which was not offside) with remarkable composure and precision. Throughout the game, he led the line beautifully and linked up well with Robin Van Persie, who produced a tireless performance as his partner up front.

And after such a mature and responsible display, no-one would have begrudged him his standing ovation, or his award as Sky’s Man of the Match.