Player Ratings: Manchester City 1 – 0 Arsenal (Emirates FA Cup)

Manchester City booked their place in the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup after beating title rivals Arsenal 1-0 at the Etihad on Friday evening.

Following a dull first-half with limited chances for both sides, Nathan Ake gave Pep Guardiola’s side the lead with a superbly precise right-footed finish past Matt Turner – a goal that proved to be enough for City to progress.

Pep Guardiola’s side will find their fifth-round opponents on Monday evening, after Derby host West Ham at the Pride Park Stadium.

Here’s how we rated City’s players in their narrow triumph over the Premier League leaders-

Stefan Ortega – 7

Early on, the German made two great saves to deny both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Leonardo Trossard. Whilst in possession Ortega didn’t look that comfortable but he kept the hosts in the game certainly for a large part of the first half.

Rico Lewis – 6

Not his best game, Lewis was often caught out of position in the first-half with Leonardo Trossard getting joy down his side – although this could be explained by his instructions to tuck inside.

Even so, he’s only 18 and once again didn’t look out of place in this City side. The breakout star was swapped for Kyle Walker early in the second-half.

John Stones – 6

Solid whilst on the field, but unfortunately for City Stones went down holding what looked to be his hamstring just before half-time.

Manuel Akanji – 6.5

The Swiss international proved to be solid against the league leaders, albeit not their strongest XI. More performances will be needed from Akanji as we near the business end of the season.

Nathan Ake – 8.5 (MOTM)

Scorer of City’s goal, Ake slotted his low effort into the bottom right corner like a seasoned veteran. Defensively speaking, the Dutchman was deployed and did a superb job to keep Bukayo Saka quiet.

Rodri – 6.5

Not his usual best, Rodri lost the ball on a few silly occasions. However, still managed to help see out the game with his defensive contributions.

Kevin De Bruyne – 6.5

Another quiet night for De Bruyne, who hasn’t quite been the same since the World Cup. The Belgian just seemed to lack the space to sprinkle any magic. A dangerous, curling left-footed effort in the first-half does bump him up half a rating, however.

Ilkay Gundogan – 6.5

Another one of City’s performers who weren’t amazing, but his job. Gundogan kept the ball on occasions and managed to captain the side through to the next round.

Riyad Mahrez – 6

Despite the Algerian’s impressive form, Mahrez struggled to impose anything of real significance onto the game, often having to come short to receive the ball. The 31-year-old was subbed for Julian Alvarez early in the second-half.

Erling Haaland – 6.5

A quiet night for the Norweigan, Haaland hustled and bustled all night but couldn’t quiet make it work. His link-up play was impressive, in parts, but he couldn’t manage to do what he’s in the team for – score goals.

Jack Grealish – 7

After a silent first 45 minutes, Grealish carried on his good form in the second. City’s No.10 weaved past Tomiyasu down Arsenal’s right side and laid the ball back to Ake who did the rest for City’s goal.

Substitutes:

Aymeric Laporte – 7

Coming on for Stones before half-time, Laporte was solid. Most notably, the Spaniard made a crucial block from a Granit Xhaka cross, a cross in which Eddie Nketiah looked certain to covert into the back of the net.

Kyle Walker – 6

Coming on for Lewis, Walker was reliable defensively, as City switched to a back four, and helped the hosts see out a cleansheet.

Julian Alvarez – 7

A bright spark when introduced, Alvarez buzzed all over the pitch. The Argentine was asked to play down the middle, alongside Haaland, but dropped deep a few times to pick up the ball. When he found space, La Arana nearly grabbed himself a goal after his long-range effort hit the post.

Bernardo Silva – N/A