Nathan Ake strikes late as Man City oust Tottenham Hotspur from FA Cup
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Manchester City's Nathan Ake (right) celebrates after scoring in the 1-0 FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in London, on Jan 26.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was pleased that his side finally broke their Tottenham Hotspur Stadium curse, as they moved into the FA Cup fifth round following Nathan Ake’s controversial late goal in their 1-0 victory against Spurs on Jan 26.
As the football world digested the stunning news that Jurgen Klopp will step down as Liverpool boss
City had lost all five of their previous visits to Tottenham’s plush arena without scoring, since the stadium opened in 2019.
But Dutch defender Ake ensured City would leave north London on a high at last when he stabbed home with just two minutes left in the fourth-round clash.
“Today we performed incredibly well. Everything pleased me, from minute one to the end,” Guardiola said.
“We are trying to defend the title and coming here is difficult. We create a lot in every game and have courage with or without the ball, so I’m really pleased.”
With the victory, Guardiola’s side have won their last seven games in all competitions to maintain their renaissance after a pre-Christmas wobble.
They are five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool. But they have a game in hand and will hope to capitalise on any uncertainty created by Klopp’s bombshell announcement.
“He’s been my biggest rival so I think he will be missed. I’m a little bit pleased because without him, I will sleep a little bit better the night before we play against Liverpool,” Guardiola added.
He and Klopp have fought an intense rivalry during their time in England, with the City boss largely coming out on top in the silverware stakes.
City won all three major prizes last season and remain firmly in the hunt to retain the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
With star striker Erling Haaland still sidelined by injury, Guardiola’s men were initially profligate in north London.
But their pressure was finally rewarded in the 88th minute as Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, under pressure from Ruben Dias, made a hash of catching Kevin de Bruyne’s corner.
Ake prodded in from close range and the goal survived a prolonged VAR (video assistant referee) check.
“We worked hard to stay in the game and conceded so late. But they were the better side,” Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou admitted.
“They make you suffer, so we had to work hard and for the most part we defended well.”
In the other fourth-round matches on Jan 26, Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa as both sides squandered opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues had scored six in their previous outing, dispatching second-tier Middlesbrough 6-1 and 6-2 on aggregate to reach the League Cup final against Liverpool in February.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s men found high-flying Villa a tougher nut to crack as a combined 23 shots from both sides failed to yield a winner.
In a rematch of the 2000 FA Cup final won by Chelsea, John McGinn wasted Villa’s best chances in each half.
Emiliano Martinez made fine saves from Chelsea’s Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer to set up a replay at Villa Park.
“The performance was good, we just weren’t clinical enough,” said Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino.
“To face a team like Aston Villa who are doing fantastic in the Premier League, I think it’s a very good signal that we are improving.”
Nottingham Forest were held to a 0-0 draw by Championship giant-killers Bristol City at Ashton Gate.
Bristol enjoyed a shock win over West Ham in a third-round replay earlier in January and once again they made life difficult for Premier League opponents. AFP, REUTERS
