Manchester City ended their sorry outing at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium by beating the host 1-0 to eliminate the London side from the FA Cup.
Nathan Ake’s 88th-minute tap-in after Guglielmo Vicario flapped at Kevin De Bruyne’s corner was all the Pep Guardiola side needed after failing to score in their previous five visits to Spurs’ home.
There was welcome news from both sides before kick off as Kevin de Bruyne and James Maddison were both available for their sides as both set of teams looked for inspiration from the returning duo who have been out of action for a long period due to different injuries.
These teams had played out a 3-3 draw at the Etihad last month, but both the club’s respective top goalscorers Son Heung-min and Erling Haaland were absent and Ange Postecoglou’s team could have little complaints and this cup loss means the club’s trophy drought will almost certainly extend into a 17th year.
In another game of the night, Chelsea were held to a lively goalless draw by Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge as both sides squandered opportunities to settle their FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Mauricio Pochettino’s team had scored six in their previous outing, dispatching Middlesbrough to reach next month’s Carabao Cup final, but found Unai Emery’s Premier League high-flyers a more obdurate hurdle as a combined 23 shots from both sides failed to yield a winner.
