Late Ake strike sends Manchester City past Spurs and into FA Cup fifth round

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0 MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Ake 88)

IT was 538 minutes in the making and highly controversial when the ball went in, but Manchester City finally broke their duck, and Tottenham hearts, with a late and controversial goal from Nathan Ake to send Pep Guardiola's side through to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Before kickoff, City had famously not scored in all five of their previous games at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, and it looked like another blank was on the cards when Kevin De Bruye took a corner with two minutes remaining.

But Ruben Dias engaged in a wrestling match with Guglielmo Vicario, the Tottenham goalkeeper failed to hold the ball, and Ake stabbed it over the line to settle the tie.

Tottenham protested furiously, claiming a foul on Vicario, who had kept City at bay with some excellent saves, but referee Paul Tierney was unmoved and the goal was enough to send City through.

That they were the better side overall was not in doubt, but with both sets of forwards being eclipsed by the respective defences, it looked like a replay was looming.

At the final whistle it was City's fans who were celebrating wildly, while Spurs were left to rue what might have been, after their first goalless performance under Ange Postecoglou.

It was hardly a cup classic, but City will not care as they are in the hat for the next round.

The first-half was fast and furious with plenty of attractive, free-flowing football but very little goalmouth action.

Perhaps it was not surprising given Tottenham were missing Heung-Min Son, so often the scourge of City, while Erling Haaland's continued absence meant Guardiola's men did not have the same goal threat.

Oscar Bobb, Haaland's compatriot, thought he had broken their duck