Adebayor - We must play better

Emmanuel Adebayor has warned Tottenham will have to improve upon the performance against Sunderland in order to finish in the top four.

Striker disappointed with performance in win over Sunderland

Emmanuel Adebayor has warned Tottenham Hotspur will have to improve upon the performance against Sunderland in order to finish in the top four this season. Spurs reclaimed third place in the Premier League on Sunday after Roman Pavlyuchenko's second-half goal secured a 1-0 home win over Sunderland. However, Tottenham lacked the vibrancy and attacking flair which had characterised their recent impressive run of form which brought 10 wins in 11 Premier League games. Gareth Bale missed the game due to an ankle injury, while fellow winger Aaron Lennon was forced off in the first half due to a hamstring problem.

Tough

And, ahead of Thursday's London derby against Chelsea, on-loan striker Adebayor has sounded the need to perform better in order to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. "If we want to be in the top four we have to play better than we did against Sunderland," Adebayor told Spurs TV Online. "I don't know what happened in the first half. I don't really want to know. I'm just glad that the game is over. "We felt heavy on the pitch and we didn't have any solution. It was tough but to be champions that's what it takes. "It's the kind of game that, regardless of what happened, we were just pleased to get the three points."