Adebayor turns guns on Old Trafford

Despite his regret at the late revival which took Liverpool FC into the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Arsenal FC striker Emmanuel Adebayor is urging his team-mates to use their disappointment as the spur to revive their Premier League challenge.

Late heartbreak
The Togolese international levelled the quarter-final second leg at 2-2 – giving the visitors the upper hand on away goals – with six minutes left at Anfield, only for Steven Gerrard to restore Liverpool's lead from the penalty spot a minute later before, with Arsenal throwing everybody forward, Ryan Babel secured the tie in the home side's favour deep into added time. "Of course we're all disappointed but it's happened now and we have to respond," said Adebayor, whose side had also led 1-0 thanks to Abou Diaby's early goal. "We were in a position to get through twice and that's the worst thing. We had chances to win and we didn't take them. Perhaps we weren't sure how to take our opportunities but that's football and we have to accept it."

Adebayor philosophical
The tie turned against Arsenal in the 85th minute when Kolo Touré was adjudged to have brought down Babel just inside the area, giving the home side a spot-kick which Gerrard dispatched expertly. The visitors might have had cause to feel aggrieved having been denied penalties in each of their last two games with Liverpool over the past week but Adebayor did not see it like that. "There's a lot of things I don't understand in football and I couldn't say if it was a penalty or not tonight," he said. "We had the chance of a penalty in both the last two games against Liverpool and the referee didn't see it like that but tonight he gave them a penalty. That happens in football and we have to be big enough to take it."

'Sunday is our season'
Arsenal captain William Gallas put the defeat down to "a lack of experience – that's all" but Adebayor is already looking ahead to Sunday afternoon, when Arsène Wenger's side travel to Premier League leaders Manchester United FC knowing that, with only five matches left, victory is essential is they are to have any hope of overhauling a six-point deficit at the top. "Of course we can still win the league," said Adebayor. "Sunday is our season now – it determines whether we still have something to play for or whether we can go on holiday. If we win in Manchester we can still hope to win the league so we have to get our focus back, stay strong and make sure we do that. Right now we're all disappointed but we will be back in the Champions League next season and the boss knows the answers. He knows what to do and what's needed to win it."