Manchester City booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Arsenal on Friday (January 27). Nathan Ake’s second-half winner separated the sides, and Twitter went wild.
It was the Gunners who threatened early on. Takehiro Tomiyasu went close in the fifth minute, but his shot was well saved by City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. The prolific Erling Haaland then had an opportunity for Pep Guardiola’s side in the ninth minute. Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner rushed off his goalline to try and keep the ball away from the Norweigan striker. The frontman attempted an audacious overhead kick that Tomiyasu cleared.
Ortega then pulled off a brilliant stop in the 21st minute to prevent Granit Xhaka from putting Mikel Arteta’s men ahead. Eddie Nketiah also sent a volley just wide of the City post in the 33rd minute.
Gunners defender Rob Holding couldn’t handle the imposing Haaland and was booked during the first half. Arteta then decided to take the Englishman off at half-time for William Saliba.
Manchester City took the lead in the 64th minute through Ake’s fine finish. Julian Alvarez tried a fierce half-volley that deflected off the post into the Dutch defender’s path. He made no mistake by curling an effort past Turner to send the Etihad Stadium into hysteria.
Arsenal looked for an equalizer, but it wouldn’t come for Arteta’s side, who will now concentrate on dethroning City as Premier League champions. Meanwhile, Guardiola’s men march on to the next round of the FA Cup.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Manchester City’s hard-fought win over the Gunners in a real tactical battle:
Arsenal’s Saliba hinted that his side’s main goal is to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title
Arsenal have been eliminated from the FA Cup, a competition they have won 14 times. They are the most successful club in the world’s oldest cup competition.
Despite this, their exit from the tournament is not all too bad for Arteta’s side. They have dreams of lifting the Premier League title for the first time since 2004. It will be at Manchester City’s expense as Guardiola’s men are hoping to win their third consecutive title.
Saliba stated three weeks ago that the Gunners were aiming to lift the trophy come the end of the season. He told Canal +:
“One must dream of the Premier League title, we play for that.”
The Gunners are top of the Premier League, holding a five-point lead over Manchester City. They also boast a game in hand over their title rivals.