MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – Manchester City defender Nathan Ake struck in the second half to earn a hard-fought 1-0 victory over visitors Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.
The top two teams in the Premier League cancelled each other out in the first half, with Erling Haaland twice going close for City while Arsenal forced home goalkeeper Stefan Ortega into two fine saves to keep them at bay.
City’s Pep Guardiola brought Julian Alvarez off the bench early in the second half, with the Argentina striker playing a big part in the winner, firing against the post before Ake slotted home from the follow up in the 64th minute.
Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta rang the changes in search of a leveller but they could not break City’s resistance as the hosts progressed and remain in the hunt to win the domestic trophy Guardiola has claimed just once during his time in England.
(Reporting by Peter Hall; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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