In an unexpected twist, Nathan Ake scored the game-winning goal for Manchester City as they defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup’s fourth round, possibly dealing the Premier League leaders a psychological blow ahead of their matchup next month....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Mikel Arteta prioritized Arsenal’s title challenge by resting six key players for the trip to the Etihad, but a strong City lineup struggled to find a way through until defender Ake placed the ball into the bottom corner (64) after Julian Alvarez had struck a post.
Guardiola was dissatisfied with his team’s first-half performance, which saw Leandro Trossard make his first Arsenal start and ended with John Stones appearing to suffer a hamstring injury. However, the City manager eventually got the better of his former assistant Arteta as the home side prevailed.
After a shock exit in the Carabao Cup to Southampton, City will now be considered favorites to win this competition and add to their six FA Cup victories with a second under Guardiola.
Player Ratings:
Man City: Ortega (8), Lewis (6), Stones (6), Akanji (7), Ake (8), Rodri (6), Gundogan (6), De Bruyne (6), Mahrez (6), Haaland (5), Grealish (7).
Substitutions: Laporte (7), Alvarez (7), Walker (5), Bernardo Silva (6)
Arsenal: Turner (7), Tomiyasu (6), Holding (6), Gabriel (6), Tierney (6), Partey (6), Xhaka (6), Vieira (4), Saka (4), Trossard (8), Nketiah (4)
Substitutions: Saliba (6), Lokonga (6), Zinchenko (6), Martinelli (7), Odegaard (6)
