Late goal gives Man City FA Cup win despite Spurs protests

FA Cup holders Manchester City left it late to book their place in the fifth round with Nathan Ake's scrappy 88th-minute effort clinching a 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Friday.

City had never won at Tottenham's new stadium, nor even scored a goal in their five previous visits. But Ake flicked in from close-range after home keeper Guglielmo Vicario flapped at a Kevin De Bruyne corner and the ball fell loose.

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Spurs protested that Vicario had been fouled by City defender Rúben Dias but, after a VAR check, the goal was allowed to stand.

Tottenham could have few real complaints as they were second-best for long periods against Pep Guardiola's side and barely forced Stefan Ortega into a save of note.

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"Today we performed incredibly well. Everything pleased me, from minute one to 95 minute. We are trying to defend the title and coming here is difficult," Guardiola said.

"We create a lot in every game and have courage with or without the ball so I'm really pleased."

Manchester City's record at Tottenham has been something of an anomaly considering their success everywhere else.

They had lost their last four Premier League games there without scoring and also suffered a 1-0 defeat there in the Champions League semifinal of 2019.

By the time the latest duel reached the dying minutes, efforts by Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne meant City had gone unrewarded for 101 efforts at goal at Tottenham's grand new arena which welcomed 9,000 visiting City fans.

But when Vicario was unable to hold a ball into a crowded area under pressure, Ake pounced.

City had dominated the first half with Oscar Bobb having an effort ruled out early for offside while Tottenham, usually so attack-minded, were forced to defend desperately.

The second half was more even until City upped the ante by sending on De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku with 25 minutes remaining. Silva was denied by Vicario and De Bruyne fired inches wide after a mistake by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Not even the arrival of James Maddison off the bench for his first appearance since sustaining an ankle injury in November could inspire the hosts who had one shot on target.

It was the first time Tottenham had failed to score in a competitive match since manager Ange Postecoglou took charge.

"We worked hard to stay in the game and conceded so late. But they were the better side," Postecoglou conceded.

"They make you suffer at points so we had to work hard and for the most part we defended well."

Reuters contributed to this report.