Nathan Ake's controversial goal helped Man City beat hosts Tottenham 1-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
In the 88th minute, midfielder Kevin de Bruyne took a corner kick from the left straight to the goal, where center-back Ruben Dias stood close to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to fight for the ball. The Tottenham goalkeeper tried to punch it out but Dias' impact caused the ball to fall right in front of the goal, allowing Ake to easily tap the ball into the empty net. Referee Paul Tierney awarded the goal to Man City, and VAR did not intervene. The home team's players protested but could not change the referee's decision, while Vicario also received a yellow card.
Nathan Ake (left) taps the ball into an empty net in the 88th minute, scoring the only goal of the match between Man City and Tottenham in London, England, in the fourth round of the FA Cup on the evening of January 26, 2024. Photo: Reuters
In the remaining minutes, Man City mainly stalled for time by bringing the ball closer to Tottenham's corner area. In the final minute of injury time, hundreds of away fans turned their backs on the pitch, put their arms around each other and danced the familiar poznan style. Because they were confident of a victory for their team.
After the final whistle, coach Pep Guardiola and the Man City reserve players entered the field and came to share the joy with the away team's fans. The 54-year-old strategist was overjoyed, constantly hugging and hugging his players. When he met De Bruyne, he even kissed the midfielder on the cheek. Man City celebrated the victory as if they had just won the championship, because they ended a streak of five games without scoring and all losses at Tottenham Hotspur.
Man City had to wait until their 101st shot on the pitch to score their first goal. On the evening of January 26, the visitors had 18 shots, but wasted all their chances, especially De Bruyne's one-on-one shot in the 82nd minute. Tottenham, on the other hand, were outclassed, only managing one shot, with Brennan Johnson's chance in the second half.
Despite being far behind in terms of shots, Tottenham created a good game when they had many counter-attacks, but their decisive passes lacked accuracy. Coach Ange Postecoglou continued to be without captain Son Heung-min and midfielders Yves Bissouma and Pape Malang Sarr because they were busy playing for the national team or injured. The team's attacking power was therefore significantly reduced.
Man City were also without Erling Haaland as he had not yet returned from injury, while De Bruyne was only on the bench. Young players like Oscar Bobb, Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden did not create many breakthroughs in the first 60 minutes. Bobb put the ball in the net early in the match, but he was offside from a small distance.
As usual, Man City played much better after De Bruyne came on. Thanks to that, the defending champions extended their winning streak in all competitions to six matches. Their next opponent is Burnley in the Premier League on February 1.
Xuan Binh
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