Emmanuel Adebayor: All down to team-mates

Emmanuel Adebayor, whose first Champions League goal was the cherry on the top of a dazzling Arsenal performance on Tuesday, admits that he and his team-mates were tormented by their 4-0 thrashing by Manchester United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford, not so much by the scoreline but by their lack of a performance. "That defeat was difficult for everyone," he says. ''You can imagine, that in our heads, we didn't know where we were after that. But we had to take it.

"Our draw with AC Milan at the Emirates gave us some of our confidence back and now our belief is really high. We have sent out a message to everybody. A week or so ago, people were putting us out of the Champions League and making us second or third in the Premier League. We responded to that by showing character and personality."

Adebayor understands that in football, a single result, however stunning, cannot stand on its own but has to be set against the rest of the season. "It would be a big mistake to draw or lose at Wigan," he says. ''We cannot even think about doing that after the win in the San Siro. It will be a tough game but we're ready for it and we have to think about getting three points in every game from now on."

"I am not the only one who has improved. So have Cesc [Fabregas] and [Mathieu] Flamini, Kolo [Toure] and [Emmanuel] Eboue.Without them, I'm nothing.They have made me the player I am today, the way I played at the San Siro. Every single day in training, they're telling me what I should be doing. Am I becoming a world-class player? I don't know. That's for others to judge. I am just doing what Arsenal ask me to do and enjoying myself on the pitch. I don't care about achieving individual things. The most important thing is to achieve things with the team, to win the Premier League and the Champions League."

"It was a big pressure for me when Thierry left but I stay easy-going and have fun on the pitch," he adds. ''I don't think of who I am replacing. I just do my job. My goal in the San Siro showed that I have to take it easy when the chances come. Before, I've hit the bar or the post but when that chance came, it was easy."