Source: Daily_Mail
Manchester City 4 Arsenal 2: Friends reunited? You must be joking
This is the point at which Manchester City's challenge to the top four begins to be taken seriously. [LNB]Few thought that Mark Hughes could mould a team out of his disparate band of desperadoes, yet they swept Arsenal aside in such an emphatic manner in the final 15 minutes of this game that it is impossible to dismiss them now.[LNB]A shame then that the headlines will be hogged by the misdemeanours of Emmanuel Adebayor, whose idea of team unity is to ensure the entire event revolves around himself. Understandably fired up for the clash after his acrimonious departure from Arsenal over the summer, he might have relished this occasion to prove his detractors among their fans wrong[LNB] Rousing reception: Former Gunners Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure enjoyed a win against their previous employer[LNB][LNB]Instead, despite a magnificent performance in footballing terms, he simply displayed all the characteristics which made him so unpopular in north London. [LNB]His crowning moment yesterday came as he headed his side's third goal on 80 minutes, effectively sealing victory in a match invested with added significance given City's assault on Arsenal's status as the fourth best club in the League. He clearly regarded it as a personal vindication, such was the frenzy of his celebration. [LNB]However, Adebayor should not even have been on the pitch at that stage. Reacting angrily to a feisty challenge from Robin van Persie on 72 minutes, he aimed a kick at the Dutchman's head, with both players temporarily grounded. [LNB]Van Persie clearly bore the scars of the attack; Adebayor might claim it was an innocent follow-through, yet the unhappy relationship between the pair at Arsenal, and seemingly unnecessary force with which he connected, suggested otherwise.[LNB]However, referee Mark Clattenburg missed the incident, meaning Adebayor was still around to punish a soft-centred Arsenal team with that header, courtesy of a lovely Shaun Wright-Phillips cross. [LNB]His reaction was to turn and sprint the entire length of the pitch towards the small contingent of Arsenal fans. Within yards of the away followers, he changed direction and slid on his knees in front of the neighbouring City fans, but the provocation was clear and the damage done.[LNB]Fans who react so easily to such juvenile stunts should, of course, bear the burden of responsibility for what followed; a hail of missiles, an attempted pitch invasion and, bizarrely, a plastic stool, which was hurled at the striker. However, Adebayor declined to respect his professional responsibilities. At least one FA charge is likely to follow this game, possibly two.[LNB] Heading for trouble: Almunia nodded into his own net to give Man City the lead[LNB] [LNB]In seeking the limelight, Adebayor succeeded in diminishing the efforts of hisexcellent team-mates, not least Craig Bellamy, a thorn in the side of Gael Clichy. [LNB]Bellamy, Adebayor and, after a slow start, Wright-Phillips were far too good for Arsenal, building on a midfield foundation underpinned by Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong and Stephen Ireland. [LNB]Bellamy it was who scored the crucial second City goal on 75 minutes, as they swept down the right, exposing Arsenal's continued naivety. Micah Richards burst past Alexandre Song all too easily and his cross found Bellamy, whose strike left nothing to chance, Manuel Almunia failing to get a hand on it.[LNB]And it was Bellamy who skipped through the entire Arsenal midfield on 85 minutes before feeding Wright-Phillips, who completed the humiliation with a fourth. Arsenal, however, had started better and for long periods of the second half seemed more likely to win.[LNB] They should have opened the scoring on 14 minutes when William Gallas headed wastefully over from Van Persie's corner. Bacary Sagna then drove over from NicklasBendtner's cut-back on 17 minutes.[LNB] Hard-fought battle: Cesc Fabregas and Craig Bellamy clash[LNB]Yet, that counted for little when Barry swung in a free-kick on 19 minutes. Richards rose to send a looping header goalwards and Almunia, the penalty villain at Old Trafford two weeks ago, touched it against a post, only for the rebound to hit him on the head and bounce in.[LNB]The blow seemed to paralyse Arsenal. They had been passing their way around City, but they suddenly seemed overwhelmed, unable to find their man and vulnerable to City's counter-attacks. [LNB]It took a while for them to regain their composure but slowly they began to create chances and then snatched their equaliser. Tomas Rosicky, on as a substitute for his first appearance after 20 months out with knee trouble, played an incisive ball into Van Persie's feet to set up the equaliser, the Dutchman striking with his right foot past Shay Given.[LNB]Despite Arsenal's subsequent capitulation, Rosicky marked his comeback with an 88th-minute reply, latching on to Cesc Fabregas's through-ball to finish calmly. It was not all good news for City, though, with Brazilian forward Robinho ruled out for three to four weeks with a stress fracture just above an ankle.[LNB] Manchester City 4 Arsenal 2: The action as it happenedArsenal lose top talent-spotter: Scout who found Wilshere quitsCarlos Tevez advisor insists Man City did not break British record for striker Fired up: Arsenal fans' hate scarred me for life, says Manchester City striker Emmanuel AdebayorMeet Emmanuel Adebayor - the boy who grew up into Manu: How a skinny kid from Togo beefed up to become the most feared striker in townAndrey Arshavin risks Arsene Wenger's wrath: I was right to play for Russia, says Arsenal starMANCHESTER CITY FC
