After Nathan Ake scored the game-winning goal in a close victory against Premier League title rivals Arsenal for Manchester City, manager Pep Guardiola dubbed him a “amazing guy” and advanced his team to the FA Cup fifth round.
The Gunners have a commanding lead in the league, but City edged a close game thanks to Ake’s accurate goal in the 64th minute following strong work by Jack Grealish.
Arsenal also had opportunities, particularly in the first half when Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu both had good looks at goal, but City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, filling in for Ederson, made some excellent saves.
There wasn’t much to pick between the teams, and when they clash at Emirates Stadium on February 15, their Premier League rivalry will once again come into focus.
“In the second half, we clearly improved. Arsenal has made advancements. It was a close game that made you appreciate how talented a team they are “said Guardiola.
“What a season he’s having, Ake. Due to Bukayo Saka’s exceptional situation, he was able to control one of the Premier League’s most difficult opponents. He is excellent at defending the far post and set pieces, which is an added plus.
“He is a remarkable man; even when he didn’t play for a while, he never once complained. You want players like Nathan as a manager. All the good things in life are due to him.”
responses following Manchester City’s FA Cup victory over Arsenal City has the advantage
Arsenal, who manager Pep Guardiola has officially acknowledged as the biggest threat to City’s ambitions of defending their title, would perceive this as a psychological blow aimed at them.
City struggled to play at their best once more, but they have a team with so much talent and diversity that there is always a game-winning play, in this case given by Grealish’s weaving run into the area and an astute finish from Ake.
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Erling Haaland was reserved, but Guardiola will be pleased that City prevailed against opponents who have grown to be so fearsome and who have only dropped one league match this year.
However, the victory came at a price as defender John Stones, who has excelled for both his club and England at the World Cup, was forced off just before halftime after pulling up holding his hamstring.
Stones has been a key player for City, and Guardiola will be hoping that the medical alert does not cause a long-term issue.
Arsenal should be supported.
This was Arsenal’s first taste of defeat this year, but manager Mikel Arteta saw plenty to be upbeat as they turned their focus back to the league.
The Gunners restrained goal-scoring machine Haaland, and in the first half they were a significant threat going forward thanks in large part to recent £21 million signing Trossard. Ortega was the busier goalkeeper.
All of this was accomplished by keeping back from the starting lineup important players like Martin Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko, William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, and goalie Aaron Ramsdale.
Ortega had to display exceptional bravery to hold out Arsenal as they made a last drive, especially in close-range goalmouth scenarios.
According to Arteta, “I believe we could have gotten much more out of the game.”
“We failed to capitalize on several crucial opportunities during the game. We can learn a lot from the way we played and competed, in my opinion. Although it is quite challenging to defeat this team, we competed with them.
“You have to make the difference in crucial situations and crucial games. You win these games in that manner.”
Even though Arteta will be stung by the loss, Arsenal’s performance was strong enough to make it difficult to consider this a major setback.
No manager is drawing any conclusions.
When speaking to the media after the first significant match between the clubs this season, Guardiola and Arteta did not draw too many conclusions.
Both will feel somewhat satisfied. City will have another FA Cup victory to add to their third-round triumph over Chelsea, while Arteta’s understandable disappointment in losing will be slightly softened by a strong showing.
On the negative side, both managers had to deal with key players becoming hurt.
Thomas Partey’s rib injury, which needs to be examined, is something Arsenal is hoping won’t cause him too much trouble. However, after having a £60 million bid for Moses Caicedo rejected, they will likely feel even more pressure to sign him.