Adebayor headed in a Shaun Wright-Phillips cross in the 80th minute to make it 3-1 in City’s eventual 4-2 win, before sprinting the full length of the pitch to celebrate directly in front of the travelling Arsenal fans, who had subjected him to abuse throughout the match following his acrimonious summer move.
The celebration sparked chaos in the away end. A crowd surge followed, with objects thrown from the stands, one of which struck and knocked out a steward.
The FA later fined Adebayor £25,000 and handed him a suspended two-match ban for improper conduct, though the disciplinary panel noted it had taken into account his public apology and the “extremely provocative” abuse he’d received from Arsenal supporters.
Adebayor had left Arsenal for Manchester City that summer in a £25 million deal, ending a three-and-a-half-year spell in which he scored 62 goals in 142 appearances, including eight against fierce rivals Tottenham.
In an ironic twist, he would go on to join Tottenham himself in 2012, becoming an enemy of Arsenal fans on two different fronts.
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