Tottenham 0-1 Manchester City: Nathan Ake scores late winner to send FA Cup holders through to the fifth round as Spurs’ chances of lifting silverware this season are dealt a big blow

They came out one by one at half-time. The Boys of ’81, they called them on the big screen. First Paul Miller, then Graham Roberts and then arm-in-arm, Glenn Hoddle and Osvaldo Ardiles, honoured members of the Spurs side that beat Manchester City in the 100th FA Cup Final after the first Wembley replay.

The familiar refrains, for fans of a certain age, of a song released at the time called Ossie’s Dream, rang around the magnificent new Spurs’ stadium. ‘Ossie’s going to Wembley,’ it went, ‘his knees have gone all trembly.’ And the four men, older and greyer now, looked at up at the scoreboard and smiled.

Spurs have won things since then, of course. Their last trophy was the 2008 League Cup. But as their supporters listened to Hoddle reminiscing, they dreamed of winning this famous old competition again to gild a first season under Ange Postecoglou that has brought so much promise.

They had gone into this FA Cup fourth round tie hoping that a different kind of history might aid them. For all their recent domination of the English game, City had never won at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They had never won a point, either. And they had never scored a goal.

Hoddle’s one-time faith healer, Eileen Drewery, claimed to have built a force field around the England goal at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to stop Italy scoring against England before a World Cup qualifier in 1997 so, for all but the last few heartbreaking minutes of this tie, for Spurs fans, it felt as if she were here in spirit with the former England manager, too.

The spell held almost to the end. Try as they might, close though they came, much though they dominated, City could not find a way past the Spurs back line and then, two minutes from time, substitute Kevin de Bruyne swung in a corner, Guglielmo Vicario, fluffed his punch and Nathan Ake stabbed the ball home for the winner.

Pep Guardiola fielded a strong side but not City’s strongest. De Bruyne, still returning from injury, was on the bench again, alongside Ederson, John Stones and Jeremy Doku. Then again, City have so much strength in depth, it is hard to know what their best team is. To say this was a weakened team would have been a calumny.

It was diminished by not having Erling Haaland in it, certainly, but he has been out for nine games with a foot injury and City have barely suffered. His absence, anyway, was matched by the absence of Heung-min Son, Spurs’ captain, who is away with South Korea at the Asia Cup.

Perhaps the most significant news for either side ahead of kick-off was the return of James Maddison to the Spurs bench for the first time since he sustained ankle ligament damage in Spurs’ apocalyptic 4-1 defeat to Chelsea on November 6.

Spurs were flying high and playing with the elan and confidence of title challengers when Maddison was injured. The former Leicester midfielder was at the heart of much of their best play. They have not been quite the same since he was dispatched to the treatment table.

Spurs had a lucky escape inside the first five minutes. Destiny Udogie slipped as he tried to close down Kyle Walker on the City right, Walker whipped in a cross and Phil Foden prodded it goalwards. Vicario could only parry it and Oscar Bobb rammed it over the line but he had strayed marginally offside.

City did not give Spurs a chance to breathe in those early stages. The home team could not keep the ball. City swarmed all over them and spent much of the first 20 minutes camped on the edge of the Spurs box. Spurs coped by flinging themselves into last-ditch blocks and lunging interceptions.

For all their dominance, City struggled to make clear-cut opportunities. They played some beautiful football that foundered with their final ball. Midway through the half, Foden did a lovely pirouette on the ball and played it to Bobb. Bobb did a lovely pirouette on the ball and played it to Josko Gvardiol. Gvardiol sliced his cross into Row Z.

Guardiola flung up his hands in frustration at that and four minutes before half time, he danced another jig of despair on the touchline. Rodri had a shot blocked. It rebounded to Mateo Kovacic. His shot was blocked. It rebounded to Bobb. His piledriver was flying goalwards until Dejan Kulusevski hurled himself at it and deflected it behind for a corner.

When the half-time whistle blew, Postecoglou turned for the tunnel with a grimace on his face. Guardiola thrust his hands deep into his pockets and made his way to the changing rooms, head bowed. It had not quite been the feast of entertainment so many had predicted.

City forged a superb chance two minutes after half time when Bobb curled a caressed cross to the back post for Julian Alvarez. Alvarez controlled it and aimed a precise shot goalwards but Micky van der Ven got the faintest touch to deflect it wide. On the touchline, Guardiola stood frozen in disbelief.

Five minutes later, Spurs finally created an opportunity of their own. Timo Werner threaded a superb through ball to Brennan Johnson but even though Johnson reached it ahead of Stefan Ortega, he could not quite lift the ball over the goalkeeper as he spread himself at his feet.

But then the match settled back into its patient, painstaking war of attrition. The biggest cheer of the whole game came 18 minutes from the end when Maddison rose from the bench to replace Rodrigo Bentancur. To try to spoil the party, city brought on De Bruyne.

Spurs crafted a breathtaking end-to-end move 15 minutes from time, moving the ball from near their own corner flag to the City box with a series of intricate passing movements that ended with a strong run and cross by substitute Oliver Skipp. As with so many of the bursts of creativity in this game, the move was ended by fine, disciplined defending.

City mustered another chance ten minutes from time when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg swung and missed at a cross from Bernardo Silva and Alvarez’s snap-shot was smothered on the line by Vicario.

City wasted a glorious opportunity a minute later when Spurs contrived to give the ball away in their own area and Foden fed De Bruyne. De Bruyne took his time and went for the corner but somehow his shot flew wide.

Just when it seemed that force field was holding firm, Ake grabbed the winner to break Spurs’ hearts and end the City hoodoo in this corner of north London.