Complete head-to-head record in the FA Cup

Tottenham Hotspur’s modern history with Manchester City has been defined by their Premier League and Champions League duels.

Despite City’s domestic dominance since Pep Guardiola took charge, Spurs have emerged as a distinct annoyance for the Cityzens. Guardiola’s side have stumbled often against the apparently inferior Lilywhites.

However, the two clubs have also met on several occasions in the FA Cup. While such duels are infrequent, City and Spurs have nonetheless played out some memorable encounters in England’s prized domestic cup competition over the years.

The first three FA Cup ties between the pair were forgettable affairs with one-goal separating the two sides in each.

They met for the fourth time in the 1981 final which was eventally decided by a moment of iconic brilliance from Tottenham’s Ricky Villa.

Goals at both ends from Man City’s Thomas Hutchinson forced a replay, with Argentine Villa getting the Lilywhites off to a perfect start in the second clash. Stephen MacKenzie quickly restored parity for City before a Kevin Reeves spot-kick handed them the lead at the start of the second half.

BBC Sport Team of the Week hero Garth Crooks then brought Spurs back on level terms with 20 minutes remaining before Villa produced the sequence that thrust him into Lilywhite folklore for eternity. His mazy solo run was capped off with a fine finish which gave Tottenham the lead and the trophy.

Crowd trouble at Maine Road overshadowed what The Independent described as an ‘outstanding’ Tottenham performance which thrust them into the FA Cup semi-finals.

Towards the end of the cup tie and the visitors 4-2 ahead, a large group of City supporters charged onto the field to taunt the away end. Play was suspended for 12 minutes, with the delay failing to facilitate any late home heroics.

Spanish midfielder Nayim, forever adored in N17 for his halfway line goal against Arsenal in the 1995 Cup Winner’s Cup final, scored the first hat-trick of his career as Spurs dazzled in Manchester. The visitors fell behind through a Mike Sheron header in the opening exchanges, but their response was emphatic and their victory set up a semi-final with north London rivals Arsenal. which they’d lose 1-0.

A comeback so remarkable it even has its own Wikipedia page.

Once again, these two sides were forced to a replay after the initial bout in Manchester finished 1-1. They reconvened ten days later at White Hart Lane where Tottenham seemed destined to progress into the fifth round.

First half goals from Ledley King, Robbie Keane, and Christian Ziege set Spurs on their way and into a 3-0 half-time lead. However, as was the case three years prior when Man Utd rallied from three goals down to win 5-3 in north London, an early second half goal unsettled the hosts.

Sylvain Distin’s 48th-minute effort set the stage for an incredible City comeback with Paul Bosvelt reducing the deficit to one after the hour. White Hart Lane once again filled with dread as another Lilywhite implosion felt inevitable, and Shaun Wright-Phillips completed City’s resurgence with ten minutes to go.

However, there was still time for more as substitute striker Jon Macken prevented the need for extra time by scoring City’s winner in stoppage time.

Tottenham vs Man City – Complete FA Cup record

Top scorers in Tottenham vs Man City FA Cup games

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