Walcott head over heels for vital Adebayor strike
Togo forward Adebayor netted a superb overhead kick in the second half to earn the Gunners a 1-1 draw against Villarreal, who had taken an early lead through a fine 25-yard drive from captain Marcos Senna.
The performance was overshadowed by the loss of centre-half William Gallas, most likely for the rest of the season, with a knee injury, while goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is also set to be out for two weeks after an ankle problem forced him off on Tuesday.
Walcott feels while the “job is not yet done”, Arsenal can take heart from a fighting display which was capped by a moment of genius from Adebayor.
“It was probably one of the best goals I have seen in the Champions League, a special goal from a special player,” Walcott said. “Hopefully that can spur us on into the next round.
“It was a great show of character from all the young players. We played some brilliant football as well.
“However, the job is not yet done. They are a very dangerous team on the break, they pass the ball very well and Senna has got a brilliant shot on him, so we have got to track him down and not let him have those situations again.”
Adebayor admits even he was taken by surprise at how well his 66th-minute strike was executed, collecting a chip from Cesc Fabregas on his chest before volleying the ball over his shoulder into the far corner.
“We all know how much quality Cesc has and when I saw him about to look for me with the pass I had another idea in mind,” Adebayor said.
“But the way I controlled it I was only left with the option of the overhead kick. As a striker you are used to making that kind of split-second decision. I made the correct choice this time.”
Adebayor insists the likes of Poland international Lukasz Fabianski — who made a fine double save moments after coming on midway through the first half — and defender Johan Djourou can step up to meet the challenges head on.
“Djourou had a good game in defence and Lukasz also did well, so we just have to trust them and believe in their quality. That is what they are here for,” Adebayor said.
Arsene Wenger has veteran former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre fit again, so there is plenty of cover at the back should Gallas be unable to recover.
The Arsenal manager was impressed by the way Fabianski quickly adjusted into the match.
“Despite coming on without a warm-up, he made two big saves,” said Wenger.
Wenger hopes leading scorer Robin van Persie, Abou Diaby and possibly Croatia striker Eduardo could be back in contention for the second leg.
Meanwhile Santi Cazorla insists Villarreal are still more than capable of making it through to the semi-finals despite Tuesday’s home draw with Arsenal.
“We’ve already shown that we are capable of scoring away from home,” said Cazorla, who was watching on from the sidelines after suffering a broken leg at the weekend.
Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna, who opened the scoring with a stunning long-range strike early on, said “Arsenal have the advantage, because they have scored an away goal but by winning there we will be in the semi-finals.”
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