Soccer: Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor has apologised for his red card against former club Arsenal and insists there was no malice in his challenge on Santi Cazorla.

Adebayor had given Spurs a dream start to the north London derby at Emirates Stadium by scoring the opening goal after 10 minutes, but he was sent off just eight minutes later for a lunging tackle on Cazorla.

Spurs went on to lose the North London derby 5-2 and Adebayor has accepted he let everyone down by being dismissed.

"I completely understand my sending off changed the entire outcome of the game and I wholeheartedly apologise to my team-mates, the manager and all the Tottenham fans for letting them down," Adebayor told The Sun. "But I must stress that my challenge was not malicious in any way whatsoever.

"I was genuinely trying to win the ball and probably stretched my foot out a bit too far in the heat of the moment. Nobody could have felt more devastated than me as I walked off the pitch.

"I so much wanted to help Tottenham win and thought for a moment that I'd actually set that win up when I scored, but football changes so quickly. One minute a hero, the next a villain."