Manchester City defeated Premier League rivals Arsenal by a slim margin 1-0, and advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Manager Pep Guardiola referred to Nathan Ake as a "exceptional guy" after his well-placed goal in the 64th minute, which was the result of superb work from Jack Grealish, won the Gunners' game, which was quite close despite their big league lead.
Arsenal also had opportunities, particularly in the first half when Leandro Trossard and Takehiro Tomiyasu both had good looks at goal, but City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, filling in for Ederson, made some excellent saves.
There wasn't much to pick between the teams, and when they clash at Emirates Stadium on February 15, their Premier League rivalry will once again come into focus.
According to Guardiola, the city improved significantly in the second half.
Arsenal, who manager Pep Guardiola has officially acknowledged as the biggest threat to City's ambitions of defending their title, would perceive this as a psychological blow aimed at them.
This was Arsenal's first taste of defeat this year, but manager Mikel Arteta saw plenty to be optimistic as they turned their attention back to the league.
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