The Hindu : Sport / Football : Adebayor scores hat-trick for Arsenal

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Adebayor scores hat-trick for Arsenal

LONDON: Emmanuel Adebayor scored a hat-trick on Saturday to lead Arsenal to a 5-0 win over Derby that kept the Gunners on top of the English Premier League football.

Abou Diaby and Adebayor scored in the first half at the Emirates Stadium, before Adebayor completed his hat-trick with efforts on either side of a goal by prolific midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal moved to 16 points, four more than Liverpool, which missed the chance to put more pressure on the Gunners when it drew 0-0 against the visiting Birmingham.

“The team means business,” Arsenal Manager, Arsene Wenger, said. “They are not there to be show-offs. They want to achieve something together.”

Manchester City stayed in second place with a 3-3 draw at Fulham.

Arsenal dominated Derby and almost took the lead when Adebayor missed the target from a cross by Gael Clichy.

But Diaby put the Gunners in front in the 10th minute with a shot from outside the area into the top corner.

Adebayor doubled the lead 15 minutes later when he took a pass by Fabregas and rounded goalkeeper Stephen Bywater before rolling the ball into the net.

Adebayor, who has never been on the losing side when he has scored for Arsenal, made it 3-0 with a 49th-minute penalty kick before Fabregas scored in his sixth straight match with a 20-metre shot in the 70th.

Adebayor rounded off the scoring in the 79th minute, completing his first hat-trick for Arsenal. While Derby has now conceded 15 goals in its last three away matches, Arsenal is unbeaten and three points clear of Manchester City. Liverpool is a point back in third.

Liverpool scored six goals in its last Premier League game, against Derby, but Birmingham filled the midfield in an attempt to deny the Reds opportunities.

Missed chances

Dirk Kuyt and John Arne Riise missed the target in the first-half, while Jamie Carragher had a shot deflected over the bar after the interval. Andriy Voronin had a shot saved by goalkeeper, Maik Taylor.

The results: English Premier League: Arsenal 5 (Diaby 10, Adebayor 25, 50-pen, 79, Fabregas 70) bt Derby 0; Fulham 3 (Davies 13, Bouazza 48, Murphy 75) drew with Manchester City 3 (Petrov 36, 60, Mpenza 50); Liverpool 0 drew with Birmingham 0; Middlesbrough 2 (Arca 15, Downing 67) drew with Sunderland 2 (Leadbitter 2, Miller 89); Reading 2 (Kitson 29, Harper 90) bt Wigan 1 (Bent 50).

Spanish Primera Liga: Barcelona 2 (Messi 73, 79-pen) bt Sevilla 1 (Kanoute 90); Recreativo Huelva 2 (Javi Guerrero 54, 59) bt Espanyol 1 (Riera 5).

Italian Serie ‘A’: Udinese 2 (Di Natale 6, 62) bt Reggina 0; AC Milan 1 (Seedorf 44) drew with Parma 1 (Pisanu 73). — Agencies

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