Premier League: Adebayor staves off Sherwood’s Spurs job fears
SWANSEA CITY 1 vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3
TOTTENHAM boss Tim Sherwood still fears for his job beyond May, despite revitalised Emmanuel Adebayor’s two goals inspiring a fifth win from six Premier League games yesterday at Swansea.
The victory, which also featured an own goal by Swansea defender Chico Flores and a late consolation from Wilfried Bony, lifted Spurs to fifth, only goal difference behind Liverpool. Yet they will be overtaken tonight if Everton win at West Brom, and Sherwood believes he will be shown the door if he fails to ensure Tottenham beat their rivals to a place in the top four.
“It’s been a good start for me [but] if the season were to end tomorrow I don’t think the chairman would be too happy as we are fifth,” said the former youth team coach, who took over on an 18-month contract in December.
“The final league position has to meet the expectation of the club otherwise it’s goodbye. The club needs to finish fourth. Realistically we should be in amongst it.”
Adebayor, frozen out in the last days of former boss Andre Villas-Boas, now has six in eight games since Sherwood made him the focal point of his new-look team.
“I haven’t said anything, I have just given him the stage to play on,” added Sherwood. “We just needed to get consistency out of him.”
Adebayor put the visitors ahead on 35 minutes, despite Swansea’s first-half dominance, heading in midfielder Cristian Eriksen’s whipped right-wing cross.
Spurs doubled their lead just after half-time, when Flores turned right-back Kyle Walker’s cross into his own net, and Adebayor slotted the third after 71 minutes.
Moments after berating midfielder Mousa Dembele for failing to pass when two-on-one, the Togolese calmly finished from left-back Danny Rose’s centre.
Bony, who earlier struck the bar, volleyed in with 12 minutes left as Swansea slipped to within three points of the relegation zone.