Manchester City defender Nathan Ake struck in the second half to earn a hard-fought 1-0 victory over visitors Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday.

The top two teams in the Premier League cancelled each other out in the first half, with Erling Haaland twice going close for City while pacesetters Arsenal forced home goalkeeper Stefan Ortega into two fine saves to keep them at bay.

City’s Pep Guardiola brought Julian Alvarez off the bench early in the second half, with the Argentina striker playing a big part in the winner, firing against the post before Ake slotted home from the follow-up in the 64th minute.

Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta rang the changes in search of a leveller but they could not break City’s resistance.

Will the result have ramifications in the Premier League race, where City are trying to stop Arsenal from clinching a first title in almost 20 years? Time will tell, but it’s certain that Arsenal’s main attention is on the League. And fewer games in a congested season could benefit the London side’s quest for the big prize.

In an early match on Saturday, Kelechi Iheanacho spared Leicester City from a potential FA Cup giant-killing as his second-half goal saw the Foxes beat fourth-tier Walsall 1-0 and progress to the fifth round on Saturday.

Written with inputs from Reuters