Manchester City drew first blood in the battle of the Premier League’s top two with a narrow 1-0 win against Arsenal in the FA Cup on Friday night.
Whether the result has any impact on the upcoming league meetings between the two sides remains to be seen, but Pep Guardiola will be delighted to have got one over Mikel Arteta once again.
Nathan Ake’s second half goal proved to be the difference during an incredibly tight contest, with the defender curling a fine finish into the far corner after being set up by Jack Grealish.
Arsenal did have their chances, especially in the first half when they were the better side, but Stefan Ortega did well to keep out stinging drives from Takehiro Tomiyasu and Leandro Trossard.
Mikel Arteta made six changes from the team that started against Manchester United on Sunday and Trossard, making his full debut following his move from Brighton, looked very impressive before half-time.
But City improved after the interval and it was Ake’s fine finish that eventually ensured it was the home side who progressed through to the fifth round.