Arsenal FC striker Emmanuel Adebayor labelled team-mate Cesc
Fabregas "one of the best players in the world" after the Spaniard
inspired Wednesday's impressive 3-0 win over Sevilla FC in UEFA
Champions League Group H. Fabregas took his goal tally for the
season to six by firing in a deflected shot on 27 minutes, then set
up further strikes for Robin van Persie and Eduardo da Silva as the
Gunners got their campaign off to an ideal start.
'World class'
He had made an identical contribution against Tottenham Hotspur FC
four days earlier - when Adebayor benefited from two Fabregas
assists - and the Togolese striker was keen to single the
20-year-old out for praise. "He's definitely one of the best
players in the world right now," Adebayor told uefa.com. "Last
season Cesc was already good but he's even better now. He didn't
score many last year, now he scores in every game. But it's his
all-round contribution that makes him world class."
Outstanding form
Sevilla had been expected to pose considerable problems to Arsenal
on their competition debut, having won the UEFA Cup in successive
seasons, but Arsène Wenger's men were the more dangerous side
throughout, seamlessly transferring their outstanding Premier
League form on to the European stage. "There's a great spirit in
the team and we feel we can score at any moment," enthused
Adebayor, whose strong running and link-up play was a vital part of
Arsenal's performance.
'Strong finish'
"Tonight we scored in [added] time - it was the same on Saturday,"
the 23-year-old continued. "That's really important because it
shows we are finishing strongly. The goals are also coming from
different sources. I've scored three, Robin has three, Eduardo has
scored two and he's hardly even played."
'Fantastic result'
Left-back Gaël Clichy was also delighted with the victory but is
refusing to get carried away with Arsenal's fine start to the
season. "Everything has gone well so far and we're delighted to
have beaten Sevilla," the Frenchman told uefa.com. "On paper,
they're our toughest opponents [in Group H] so to win 3-0 is
fantastic. Every since I was a boy my coaches have told me how
important it is to win your first game. It sets the tone. Hopefully
we will go from strength to strength now. But there's a long way to
go. Just because we won here, doesn't mean we'll win in Sevilla. We
also have difficult trips to Bucharest and Prague to negotiate. But
it's a perfect start."
