I have watched this 20 times and it’s clear to me that a) Robin Van Persie puts in a poorly timed (but not malicious) tackle and b) Emmanuel Adebayor deliberately stamped on the Arsenal striker. Anyone think differently?

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Here is what the Dutchman and Adebayor had to say about the incident after the game.

Robin van Persie claims that Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor deliberately injured him during Arsenal‘s 4-2 defeat at Eastlands.
In a statement, Van Persie said he was “sad and disappointed” by Adebayor’s “mindless and malicious stamp on me”.
The Dutchman added: “He set out to hurt me today. I do feel lucky that I have not received a greater injury.”
Van Persie was caught by Adebayor as he tackled his former team-mate, suffering a cut on the left side of his face.
The former Feyenoord frontman, 26, is adamant that the contact was deliberate.
“I knew he was aiming for a collision because he changed the angle of his body to allow contact to be made,” he said in a statement published on the Arsenal website.

“He moved backwards when his natural momentum would have taken him forward. I find that deeply disrespectful.
“The contact was only centimetres from my eye. I have not received an apology from him, there were no words exchanged afterwards. He had his own agenda today and that is bad for football. It’s bad for the game we all love.”
He continued: “We are both professional footballers and I know that the game is physical. I, too, have made hard and sometimes mis-timed challenges but never with the intention of hurting an opponent.
“I have not received an apology from him, there were no words exchanged afterwards. He had his own agenda today and that is bad for football. It’s bad for the game we all love.
“He has shown a real lack of class today, to me and the fans.
“We do not hide from the disappointment of losing the match but I need to speak out about his behaviour.”

I see him tackling and I don’t have time to take my feet back because I’m trying to kick the ball

Adebayor insists he did not intentionally kick Van Persie in the head and says he has apologised to his former strike partner.

“I was trying to kick the ball,” Adebayor told Sky Sports. “I see him tackling and I don’t have time to take my feet back because I’m trying to kick the ball.
“My feet touch his head. I feel sorry for him and even straight away, and at the end of the game, I said sorry.” (BBC Sport)