Emmanuel Adebayor has delivered a scathing assessment of Tottenham's defensive strategy, particularly questioning their approach to handling Arsenal's Bukayo Saka during the North London Derby. The former Spurs and Gunners forward was left baffled by the amount of room afforded to Saka, who capitalised on the space to score a crucial goal in Arsenal's 3-2 victory.

Saka's goal came as a result of a swift counter-attack, with the young winger cutting inside and finding the net with a precise finish. It was a moment of quality from the England international, but one that Tottenham could have thwarted had they not maintained such a high defensive line, which allowed Saka to exploit the gap and breeze past Ben Davies before slotting home his 15th goal of the campaign.

Adebayor didn't hold back in his criticism when speaking to Premier League Productions at half-time. He expressed his pre-match concerns about Spurs' tactical setup, with his prediction coming true: "We talked about this before the game that if they leave and push both of their fullbacks in front, then it's very difficult for them.

"A player like Saka on the side, you know what a different player he can be. Give him space and he can do whatever he wants to do. A player with his quality, if I am playing against him, I am telling the fullback to stay on him. Right now, he is on top of his game and playing his best football.

"But Davies is moving up front all the time. Davies isn't going to be the one to score for Tottenham to win this game, so he has to stay in position, and have Bukayo Saka and that control.

"That's what they aren't doing and it's going to make life so difficult for them. If you allow Saka to play with quality with one-v-one. We see how he makes that goal look so easy. Trust me, it's not."

"Bukayo Saka today is one of the best wingers in the Premier League and maybe in Europe," Adebayor added post-match. "You can't give him that space. You knew how good he is and what he could bring to his team with Arsenal. Why do you allow him to have so much space to punish you?"

Saka's performance helped Arsenal to a 3-2 victory over their North London rivals, confirming their place at the top of the Premier League table before Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest. Spurs remain in fifth place.

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