Manchester United legend Roy Keane didn’t hold back his criticism of Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario following Spurs’ defeat against Manchester City on Friday, January 26.
The Cityzens finally secured a victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after five attempts in the fourth round of the FA Cup. They kicked off the game strongly, with a seventh-minute goal by Oscar Bobb disallowed due to offside.
Despite creating numerous opportunities throughout the game, Manchester City failed to find the net. However, they eventually broke the deadlock in the 88th minute when Vicario’s attempted punch off a corner fell to Nathan Ake, who calmly scored.
Vicario argued that Ruben Dias had fouled him during the corner, but the goal stood after a VAR check. Tottenham couldn’t muster a response as City secured a 1-0 win, progressing in their quest to defend the FA Cup trophy.
Following the match, Keane didn’t mince his words, stating on ITV Sport (via Metro):
“The goalkeeper has got to command that six-yard area.”A goalkeeping coach I used to work with years ago used to say – and I loved it – you come with violence. You come and attack that space and clear people out of the way. You have got to let them know you are there.
If defenders are backing into you, be physical. Command that area.” Keane also noted that Manchester City astutely identified it as a potential weakness for Spurs, remarking:
“They had worked on that, they knew there was a weakness.”We were getting frustrated with it too, we thought City might try a few short corners but they persevered and eventually got it right. They looked at that goalkeeper and said, “right, he will be weak in that area.”’
Vicario, who joined Tottenham from Empoli last summer for a reported fee of £17 million, has been impressive for Spurs this season, but he may have faltered on this occasion.
Manchester City continued their impressive run, finally breaking their winless streak at Tottenham. Despite experiencing some setbacks earlier in the season, Manchester City seemed to have regained their form. Pep Guardiola’s side are now unbeaten in their last 10 games across competitions, winning nine of them.
City went into the FA Cup fourth-round clash on Friday, having failed to score in five previous games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing all five across competitions. However, they rectified that record with a convincing performance.
Manchester City had a total of 18 attempts on goal, with five of them on target. Meanwhile, Spurs could only manage one attempt, which was on target. Players like Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez had excellent opportunities to score before Nathan Ake eventually found the winner.
The Cityzens now eagerly await the revelation of their fifth-round opponents, which will be announced on Sunday, January 28.
