An FA Cup classic was expected. Instead, Manchester City centre-back Nathan Ake needed a weak goal with two minutes remaining to help the defending champions win against Tottenham Hotspur.
The chances were slim and even Kevin De Bruyne proved he was human. After a stunning display at Newcastle United following his return from injury, he missed a big chance in the final 15 minutes. The Belgian playmaker came off the bench again and shot past the goal from twelve meters.
A replay at the Etihad seemed in sight until Ake fired home from De Bruyne's corner – the goal coming after a VAR check as Tottenham appealed for a foul on Guglielmo Vicario.
The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke and Sam Lee analyzed the action.
Curse? What curse at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Apparently there was no curse for Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (please find a suitable name for this stadium). They simply played against teams that like to soak up pressure and play on the counterattack, even though they were pretty weak on both sides. And this game looked a bit like that most of the time.
City were good defensively, but they weren't determined enough (or lucky enough, with Oscar Bobb's disallowed shot) to score the goal they easily could have – and never more so than when De Bruyne did After that, he had all the time in the world to make a mistake in Spurs' defense, only for him to shoot the ball wide of the goal.
At that moment it looked like the same old story for Pep Guardiola's men until Ake fired the ball into the goal from a late corner. There won't be many City fans who would have been confident about the VAR check, but the curse couldn't go that far.
How important is Van de Ven for Spurs?
There has been a lot of talk lately about the importance of James Maddison to Spurs during his long injury layoff due to an ankle injury, Son Heung-min during the Asian Cup or Cristian Romero during his various suspensions.
But this was a reminder that Micky van de Ven, who cost £43 million ($54.7 million) plus add-ons from Wolfsburg in the summer, is as important to Tottenham as anyone. It was only his second game after more than two months out with a hamstring injury, but he is changing the way Spurs play.
The 22-year-old Dutch defender has remarkable recovery pace, allowing Spurs to defend high up and push the game forward, safe in the knowledge that Van de Ven can cover anyone who breaks in behind him.
He was outstanding tonight, making crucial interceptions – not least a perfect tackle on Julian Alvarez just as he was about to give City the lead at the start of the second half.
Van de Ven stood out again (Sebastian Frej/MB Media via Getty Images)
How long can City keep Ortega?
Before the FA Cup final in June there was a bit of abuse from real footballers as some felt that leaving Ederson on the bench and sticking with Stefan Ortega, who had played in previous rounds, was a risky decision .
But aside from any thoughts about Ortega's morale (if he was suddenly left out of the team for an important game during City's season), the German is simply a very good goalkeeper. He doesn't play nearly as much as his quality would suggest.
Finding the right number 2 is a tricky business and often you end up with options that aren't good enough, but City find themselves in the opposite scenario: Ortega is probably too good and there will be no shortage of offers in the summer.
Ortega is too good to be number 2 (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
His composure on the ball and decision-making ability, coupled with the fact that he can handle old-fashioned goalkeeping duties, make him a good option for Guardiola.
What happened to Spurs' peak performance?
There were some positive aspects to this Spurs performance as they found their feet after a shaky start and steadily settled into the game. But the one thing that was glaringly missing was quality in the final third. Spurs didn't have a single shot in the first half, and although they were better on top in the second half, they never looked like scoring.
The closest they came was Timo Werner, who played Brennan Johnson, who was blocked by the onrushing Ortega. And that was it.
Even when Maddison came on as a substitute in the second half, Spurs were unable to create the chances they needed to win the game. It's clear they'll need Maddison to settle back into the team quickly – because no one else can do what he can here.
GO DEEPER
James Maddison and the comeback that could give Spurs' season a new lease of life
And they will need Son back from the Asian Cup because there is no real lead on their front at the moment. It seems Spurs will struggle to score enough goals with this game's starting XI.
What did the managers say?
Manchester City coach Guardiola to ITV: “For the stats and the way we played. We deserved the win.
“To be honest, we played similarly here (at the Spurs stadium) for many years. Always with Son and (Harry) Kane – (with) their quality they would score points. Today we showed an incredibly good performance. Everything (I liked). From the first minute to the 95th minute. We are defending the title (FA Cup) so it was very difficult to get here.
“Being here against this team. They create a lot of chances through their style of play. We played courageously with and without the ball. I’m really happy.”
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou to ITV: “It was a tough game against a top team. We worked hard to stay in the game and conceded a goal late on. But they were the better side. They make you suffer in some areas, so we had to work hard and defended well for the most part. It was just too tough a test for us.
“We are continuing on the current path; That doesn’t mean anything will change for us today.”
What's next for Tottenham?
Wednesday, January 31st: Brentford (H), Premier League, 7:30pm GMT, 2:30pm ET
Spurs are aiming for a fourth consecutive home win in the league but have only beaten Brentford once in five meetings since their promotion to the Premier League in 2021.
What's next for Manchester City?
Wednesday, January 31st: Burnley (H), Premier League, 7:30pm GMT, 2:30pm ET
Trips to the Etihad Stadium should come with an 18 certificate for Burnley fans: the results have been so shocking lately. They have lost their last eight games there in all competitions by a combined score of 35 to 1 (Ashley Barnes – January 6, 2018; Fact Fans).
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(Top photo: Ake celebrates his late winner)