It is fair to say that, since leaving the club in 2009, once-loved striker Emmanuel Adebayor has gone the wrong way about strengthening his bond with Arsenal supporters.
Sixty-two goals in 142 games across a three-year spell, including 30 strikes in the 2007-08 campaign, ensured that the Togolese firmly made himself a key component under Arsene Wenger.
That started to change in his final term in North London, though, as fans began to question Adebayor's commitment in a year that saw him struggle with niggling injury problems. It was no great surprise, then, to see the striker linked with numerous teams across the continent, including the likes of AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City.
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It was the Citizens, in the summer of 2009, who finally managed to land the star player for a fee in the region of £25m, strengthening what was already a squad bursting with attacking talents in their pursuit of a first Premier League crown.
While at the Etihad, Adebayor endured the wrath of fans once more after memorably running the length of the field to celebrate in front of those who once chanted his name the loudest, before going on to play for Arsenal's arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur, where he quickly fell out of favour.
Yet it was so much different at one stage, Adebayor enduing himself to the Gunners faithful with many impressive displays - including on this day eight years ago when his two goals helped Wenger's charges on their way to another White Hart Lane win.
Things actually got off to a bad start for the Gunners, with a young Gareth Bale capitalising on some poor Manuel Almunia positioning to curl home what would later become a trademark free kick and putting the hosts ahead 15 minutes in.
First-choice England stopper Paul Robinson then had to be alert to twice deny Adebayor, while Abou Diaby struck the bar as Arsenal desperately pushed on in search of an equaliser against their near rivals.
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The profligacy did look as though it would cost the Premier League-chasing side but, just moments after Aleksander Hleb became the latest to fluff his lines, Adebayor finally made up for his earlier errors by heading home Cesc Fabregas's well-drifted free kick to make it 1-1 in North London.
Spurs were not going to roll over, however, and they were a Gael Clichy goal-line clearance away from restoring their lead just moments later.
Yet it was to be Arsenal who scored the game's crucial third goal thanks to a belting strike from Fabregas - another player who has since received some unfavourable treatment from supporters since moving on to pastures new.
Darren Bent could have scored what would have been a dramatic leveller, but it was not to be for Spurs as their opponents scored one of this famous derby encounter's most memorable strikes through Adebayor.
The Togo international flipped up the ball, swivelled and fired home in one swift movement on the edge of the box. It was a goal fit to seal the points in any game, especially one that maintained Arsenal's eight-year unbeaten run in North London derbies against Tottenham.
Spurs remained in relegation trouble after a slow start to the campaign, with manager Martin Jol making way for Juande Ramos the following month.
For Arsenal, on the other hand, this win came during a 15-match unbeaten start to the season, though they later dropped down to a finishing position of third after a profligate March - in which they failed to win in five outings - cost them the chance of lifting the top-flight crown for a fourth time.
Adebayor would later go on to score 15 goals during his time at Man City, before sealing a £5m switch to Tottenham where his future continued to look increasingly bleak prior to being released last weekend.
Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Dawson, Kaboul, Lee, Malbranque (Bent-82), Huddlestone, Jenas, Bale (Lennon-69), Berbatov, Keane
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Silva, Clichy, Hleb (Song-90), Fabregas, Diaby (Rosicky-56), Flamini, Adebayor, Van Persie (Denilson-85)
Daniel Lewis
