Adebayor gives Tim reason to smile

Barclay’s Premier League

Tim Sherwood’s future at the Tottenham helm may be less than certain, but his side’s comprehensive defeat of Sunderland means the fate of Gus Poyet’s side is becoming increasingly clear.

The pre-match build-up was dominated by a report earlier in the day that Sherwood would be replaced as Spurs boss this summer, regardless of how results went between now and the end of the campaign.

By that reckoning, this impressive 5-1 comeback win will have little impact on his future, although the same cannot be said for Sunderland, who may have two games in hand on many of their rivals but languish bottom of the table and seven points adrift of safety.

Two-goal striker Emmanuel Adebayor said he hoped Sherwood would stay on as manager.

“I am playing and scoring goals, I would hope he stays,” he said

” But I am not the chairman or the owner of the club. No matter what happens I am a professional footballer and just want to do my job for the club.

“When everyone forgot about me he gave me back my life. I am very grateful and I owe a big thanks to him.”

Before the match Sherwood insisted it was “business as usual” at Spurs and that his players should not be affected by the speculation, while Poyet, whose side had managed just one point from their last six matches was also a man very much under pressure.

For all of the hosts’ good play, Sunderland, who dropped skipper John O’Shea to the bench, came close after 14 minutes when a powerful Wes Brown header went just wide of the far post.

It was poor defending from Spurs and it got worse just three minutes later as they farcically gifted Sunderland the lead.

Vlad Chiriches collected a poor return pass from Hugo Lloris and continued to play the ball into no-man’s land, where Lee Cattermole capitalised by showing excellent composure to slot home from 25 yards.

Tottenham soon managed to eke out a leveller thanks to their returning top scorer Adebayor, with Christian Eriksen’s fine ball bundled home at the back post by the Togolese striker.

It was no less than the home side deserved and they tried to add to another before half-time, with Harry Kane hitting a low strike at Vito Mannone before Danny Rose curled an audacious strike just wide.

Adam Johnson had an early half-chance when play resumed for the second half and Sherwood was incensed when Kane wriggled free in the box before being taken down by Carlos Cuellar.

The Spurs manager’s touchline antics were being matched by counterpart Poyet, who had Phil Bardsley to thank for a last-ditch tackle that stopped Eriksen slotting home a fizzing Aaron Lennon cross.

The home side were getting a lot of joy down the flanks and it bore fruit in the 58th minute.

Eriksen was again the provider as he whipped in a fine ball for Kane to prod home his first Premier League goal — followed-up soon after by a collision that required a bandage to his head.

However, he returned to the field unrattled by the collision and Spurs continued to press, with Naughton and Lennon having efforts blocked.

Substitute Ignacio Scocco hit the side-netting on a rare Sunderland voyage forwards, before Eriksen put the game out of reach with a strike that took a slight deflection off Bardsley on its way in.

Adebayor added a fourth after Kane’s initial strike squirmed through Mannone’s grasp, with the Sunderland goalkeeper was beaten again in stoppage time by substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Adebayor added: “Today we have done a very good job for the team, for the manager, for the fans.”

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR: Lloris, Naughton, Rose, Paulinho (Veljkovic 88), Chiriches, Kaboul, Lennon (Townsend 84), Chadli (Sigurdsson 82), Kane, Adebayor, Eriksen.

SUNDERLAND: Mannone, Bardsley, Alonso, Brown Cuéllar (Gardner 72), Vergini, Cattermole Booked (Scocco 72), Ki, Johnson, Borini, Bridcutt.

Ref: Lee Mason.