Manchester City came out on top against Arsenal in an Emirates FA Cup battle between the Premier League's top two teams, edging out a tense encounter 1-0 thanks to a goal from Nathan Ake.
Uncharacteristically for both teams it was a first half devoid of many attacking opportunities, with the most promising chances coming courtesy of Leandro Trossard, who looked bright early on in his full debut.
Following that drab 45 minutes, the difference in quality was noticeable after half time, with City in particular showing an improvement, which was to be rewarded a little over an hour in.
Jack Grealish found Nathan Ake in space in the penalty box, and the centre back cooly slotted home into the bottom corner, with his goal being the winner for Pep Guardiola's side in the end.
It means that Man City progress through to the Fifth Round of the competition, whilst Arsenal's hopes of a potential Premier League and FA Cup double have been extinguished at this early stage.
Story of the Match
Both teams came into this one just five days after their last outings, with Pep Guardiola making two alterations to the City side which beat Wolves, as Stefan Ortega replaced Ederson in net, and Nathan Ake was in ahead of Aymeric Laporte.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta made a raft of changes following his team's dramatic 3-2 victory against Manchester United, with the most notable being Leandro Trossard starting for the first time since joining from Brighton.
It was the Belgian winger who had the first notable chance of the game, as he wriggled his way down the left before finding Takehiro Tomiyasu on the edge of the box with a smart cutback.
The Japanese full back struck his half-volley sweetly, but it was too close to Ortega, who palmed it away to safety.
One of the key physical battles was of that between Erling Haaland and Rob Holding, with this being just the fourth start the defender had made all season, and the two constantly found themselves wrestling with one another.
During the first half it was a relatively even affair; Haaland did pounce on a loose Holding touch but Matt Turner came rushing out of his goal to smother any threat from the Norwegian.
It is testament to the quality of these two teams that the sloppiness of passing was noticeable, particularly in comparison to the performances most have come to expect from the two best sides in the country.
In fact, there were few clear-cut opportunities for either side before the interval, with attacks breaking down multiple times in the final third for each.
As the half wore on the game did open up a little more, with the Gunners able to break swiftly on the counter attack, primarily heading down the left via Leandro Trossard.
He stung the gloves of Ortega for a second time, forcing the goalkeeper into a strong diving stop, whilst almost setting up Eddie Nketiah for an opener a little later on with a low cross that was sent wide by the Englishman.
There were chances for City too - Kevin De Bruyne's curling left-footed shot skimmed the outside of the post, while Haaland continued to cause problems by making runs in behind, but nobody from the hosts was able to trouble the Arsenal goal.
Rob Holding was the first man to pick up a booking near the end of the first 45 minutes, as his aforementioned battle with Haaland boiled over, and Arteta promptly substituted the centre back now walking something of a tightrope at half time.
City step up the pressure
After a rather mediocre first half for both teams, it felt inevitable that the quality would have to pick up, and signs that it would do just that began to show a few minutes after the game resumed.
Man City started to control possession and ramp up the pressure, with De Bruyne at the centre of most promising situations - his various crosses forced Matt Turner to react quickly and clear the danger when called upon.
Arsenal still remained largely resolute at the back, but their attack was being blunted, their midfield overrun and their defence stretched slightly thinner the more the game wore on.
A goal felt inevitable.
Substitute Julian Alvarez came close when he fired a powerful strike from range onto the post, with the ball coming back out to Jack Grealish on the left hand side of the box.
He then twisted and turned in the penalty area, before laying the ball off to Nathan Ake of all people, who produced a superb finish, virtually passing the ball into the bottom right-hand corner to put City ahead.
To their credit, going behind prompted an instant reaction from Arsenal, as Granit Xhaka sent in a wicked ball that needed a last-ditch intervention from Laporte to clear away from the waiting Nketiah.
Having survived a brief barrage from the Gunners, City soon regained control of the game, and once Guardiola's side go ahead they very rarely give up a lead, especially when playing on home turf at the Etihad Stadium.
A late rally from Arsenal was thwarted by Ortega who was a standout for his side on the night, and after seeing out four more minutes of injury time it was Man City who had their name in the hat for the Fifth Round.
Player of the Match - Nathan Ake
In a game with only one goal, it often seems too obvious to pick the scorer as the player of the match, but in this case Nathan Ake's recognition is not just for his winner, though that does play a significant part.
The Dutchman was dominant at the back, keeping the in-form Bukayo Saka at bay while the forward was on the pitch, which is no mean feat given the youngster's performances this season.
No player can be sure of a starting spot when Pep Guardiola is at the helm, but based on his performances of late the 27-year-old can put in a strong claim as one of the first defenders on the team sheet.