Is Man. City's Adebayor the villain?

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Emmanuel Adebayor's length-of-the-pitch run to celebrate Man. City's third goal didn't go over well with the traveling Arsenal fans. Shaun Botterill/Getty Images The Limey's Mailbag Keep the banter flowing to The Limey. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

Manchester City's headline-grabbing 4-2 home win over Arsenal last weekend delivered more talking points than a double-bill Oprah healthcare special. City struggled to contain a probing, possession-heavy Arsenal offense. But on the break, the speed of Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy and Shaun Wright-Phillips pierced a dispersed Gunners defense three times over a frenetic 10-minute second-half spell.

This was a seminal result in the emerging story of a long-awaited re-arrangement of the English Premier League's upper echelons and should have left the masses looking ahead to third-place City's grudge match at second-place Manchester United on Sunday (8:30 a.m. ET, Setanta USA). Instead, even the front pages featured the antics of Adebayor in his first match against Arsenal, the club he acrimoniously left in July.

On Thursday, Adebayor received a three-match ban for raking his studs down the face of Robin van Persie, with referee Mark Clattenburg decreeing that, had he seen the incident, he would have sent Adebayor off. (Click here to see the "stomp.") Furthermore, City has until Sept. 30 to appeal a further charge of improper conduct for Adebayor's sprint the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of Arsenal fans after scoring the goal that put City up 3-1. (Click here for a fan's-eye view of that incident.)

The degree to which Adebayor incited the resulting melee amongst the away fans has been the talk of the U.K., even dividing Team Limey, which has taken to throwing Shakespearean insults at each other. Misbegotten rampallian lewdster Ben Franklin offers the case for the prosecution:

After the stick Adebayor received from his own fans last season, and the manner of his exit from Arsenal, it wasn't surprising the big Togolese national-teamer played like a man possessed against his former club. For Adebayor's first transgression -- the stamp on van Persie's face -- the striker quite rightly has been suspended, which puts him out of Sunday's Manchester derby.

Van Persie's initial challenge immediately just before Adebayor's misdemeanor was certainly poor, but replays show Adebayor's response was far more aggressive. His foot clearly changed direction toward van Persie's face as he came down from riding the Dutchman's challenge, nowhere near the ball, which Adebayor claims he was trying to kick. Furthermore, suggesting the challenge is any more acceptable because of van Persie's initial tackle is, frankly, indefensible given the seriousness of Adebayor's foul. City's announcement that the club and Adebayor accepted the charge of violent conduct confirms the righteousness of the charge.

Adebayor's relationship with the Arsenal fans soured dramatically last season. He scored 30 goals in all competitions during 2007-08 and became a firm fan favorite. However, devotion turned to disparagement as he spent last summer flirting with European rivals AC Milan in a blatant attempt to engineer a new contract. The ploy worked, with Adebayor doubling his wages to $130,000 a week.

The striker repaid the club's generosity by playing in an increasingly lethargic, lazy and uninterested manner throughout the '08-09 season. The fans who had paid their hard-earned money to watch a player who had doubled his salary playing in such a way riled them and, quite rightly, led to an increasing level of audible displeasure towards their once-beloved forward. The situation became untenable for both club and player and led to Adebayor's move to City.

Adebayor's actions in running the length of the pitch to celebrate to in front of the supporters who had turned against him last season was foolish and sparked a near riot as fans surged forward to confront him, throwing a variety of objects towards him. The main victims of Adebayor's ridiculous celebration were the security staff, who had to hold back the baying Arsenal fans from climbing onto the pitch, and who were in the direct firing line of the objects being thrown, with one steward knocked unconscious for his trouble.