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An FA Cup classic was expected. Instead, it took a scruffy goal from Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake two minutes from time to help the champions beat Tottenham Hotspur.
The chances had been slim and even Kevin De Bruyne proved he was human. After an impressive cameo against Newcastle United on his return from injury, he wasted an obvious opportunity in the final 15 minutes. The Belgian playmaker came off the bench again and shot wide from 12 meters with the goal open.
A replay at the Etihad appeared to be on the cards until Ake scored from a De Bruyne corner – the goal coming after a VAR review as Tottenham appealed for a foul on Guglielmo Vicario.
the athletic one Jack Pitt-Brooke and Sam Lee analyzed the action.
Curse? What curse at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Obviously there was no curse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (find an appropriate name for this stadium) for Manchester City; They have simply faced teams that like to absorb pressure and play on the counterattack, at times when they have been quite weak on either end. And this game was a bit like that most of the time.
City were good defensively, but were not clinical enough (or lucky enough, with Oscar Bobb’s effort disallowed) to get the goal they could easily have scored, and never more so than when De Bruyne had all the time in the world afterwards. . A mistake in the Spurs defence, only for him to plant the ball wide.
At the time, it seemed like the same old story for Pep Guardiola’s men, until Ake scored from a late corner. You won’t find many City fans who would have felt confident during the VAR check, but the curse couldn’t go that far.
How important is Van de Ven for Spurs?
There has been a lot of talk recently about the importance of James Maddison for the Spurs, during his long inactivity due to an ankle injury, or of Son Heung-min during the Asian Cup, or of Cristian Romero during his various suspensions.
But this was a reminder that Micky van de Ven, who cost £43 million ($54.7 million) plus add-ons from Wolfsburg in the summer, remains as important to Tottenham as anyone. It was only his second game after more than two months out with a hamstring injury, but it is changing the way the Spurs play.
The 22-year-old Dutch defender has a remarkable recovery rate, allowing Spurs to defend high up the pitch and squeeze play, safe in the knowledge that Van de Ven can cover anyone who crosses behind him.
He was excellent tonight, making crucial interceptions, including a perfect tackle on Julián Álvarez just as he was about to give City the lead early in the second half.
How long can City keep Ortega?
There was some vilification of the real footballer before the FA Cup final in June because some felt that keeping Ederson on the bench and sticking with Stefan Ortega, who had played in previous rounds, was a risky decision.
But apart from any thoughts about Ortega’s morale (if he were suddenly dropped from the team for a big game in City’s season), the German is simply a very good goalkeeper. He doesn’t play as much as his quality suggests.
Finding the right No 2 is a tricky task and you often end up with options that aren’t good enough, but City have found themselves in the opposite scenario: Ortega is probably too good and there will be no shortage of offers come summer.
His composure on the ball and decision-making, combined with the fact that he is capable of old-fashioned goalkeeping, make him a good option for Guardiola.
What has happened to the Spurs’ vanguard?
There were some positives to this Spurs performance as they found their footing after a shaky start and steadily grew into the game. But the only thing that was noticeably lacking was quality in the final third. The Spurs didn’t have a single shot in the first half and, although they were ahead in the second half, they never seemed to score.
The closest they came was Timo Werner playing in Brennan Johnson, who was blocked by Ortega. And that was that.
Even when Maddison came on as a substitute in the second half, Spurs were unable to create the quality chance needed to win the game. Clearly, they will need Maddison to rejoin the team quickly, because no one else here can do what he does.
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And they will need Son to return from the Asian Cup because there is no real cutting edge in their front line at the moment. It seems that with the starting 11 in this match, Spurs will struggle to score enough goals.
What did the managers say?
Guardiola, Manchester City manager, to ITV: “Because of the statistics and the way we played. We deserved the victory.
“To be honest, we have played in a similar way here (at the Spurs stadium) for many years. All the time with Son and (Harry) Kane – (with) their quality, they would score. Today we performed incredibly well. Everything (I liked it). From minute one to minute 95. We are defending the title (FA Cup), so coming here was very difficult.
“Being here against this team. They create a lot of opportunities with the way they play. We played bravely with and without the ball. “I am really satisfied.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou to ITV: “It was a tough game against a superior team. We worked hard to stay in the game and conceded so late. But they were the better side. They make you suffer at times, so we had to work hard and generally defended well. It was too hard a test for us.
“We continue as we come; That doesn’t mean that anything changes for us today.”
What’s next for Tottenham?
Wednesday, January 31: Brentford (H), Premier League, 7:30 p.m. GMT, 2:30 p.m. ET
Spurs are seeking their fourth straight home win, but have managed to beat Brentford just once in five meetings since the latter’s promotion to the Premier League in 2021, and are winless against them in the last four, losing once and tying the rest. .
What’s next for Manchester City?
Wednesday, January 31: Burnley (H), Premier League, 7:30 p.m. GMT, 2:30 p.m. ET
Trips to the Etihad Stadium should be accompanied by an 18 certificate for Burnley fans – recent results have been shocking. They have lost their last eight games there, in all competitions, by a combined score of 35 goals to one (Ashley Barnes – 6 January 2018 – Fact Fans).
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(Photo above: Ake celebrates his latest winner)