Dave Thompson/AP
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland challenges Arsenal’s Thomas Partey in the FA Cup fifth round.
Nathan Ake scored the winner as Manchester City beat Arsenal 1-0 to progress to the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday (NZ time).
City not only knocked Arsenal out of the cup, but also earned a psychological advantage in the race for the English Premier League title.
Arsenal have a five-point lead, but their seven-game unbeaten run was ended by City, who have won three consecutive times in all competitions.
England’s top two clubs will meet again on February 15 in a top-of-the-table clash at the Emirates Stadium. For now, City manager Pep Guardiola has gained an edge over his former assistant, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
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Defender Ake was the unlikely game winner after curling a low shot past goalkeeper Matt Turner in the 64th minute.
The goal came after substitute Julian Alvarez hit the post with a long-range effort.
Michael Steele/Getty Images
Nathan Ake celebrates after scoring the only goal in Manchester City’s FA Cup victory over Arsenal.
Arsenal had chances to take the lead after the better of the first half, with Takehiro Tomiyasu and Leandro Trossard forcing saves from City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and Eddie Nketiah narrowly widening from close range.
The visitors paid when City improved after the break for Ake’s decisive strike.
While a place in the next round of the cup was on the line, it was impossible to ignore the wider context of a game between the teams leading the league.
Arsenal are in superb form, taking 50 points from 19 games and playing with a confidence not seen since Arsene Wenger’s title-winning sides in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Even if there were no points on offer, there was an opportunity for the winner to make a statement ahead of their looming league game.
As if to underline that the cup is neither team’s priority, Guardiola and Arteta have left key players out of their line-ups.
Guardiola benched Ederson, Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva.
Arteta omitted Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, William Saliba, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
New Arsenal signing Trossard got his first start since joining from Brighton last week.
Despite the substitutions in the first half, Arsenal created the better chances, but could not let them count.
City started to take control of the game after the break without creating many clear openings, until Ake broke the deadlock.
Alvarez’s attack from outside the box beat Turner, but came back off the post. Jack Grealish picked up the rebound and laid it off to Ake, who shot a first try low into the corner.