Man City get instant reward for specialist training in Abu Dhabi

Kyle Walker credited Manchester City's backroom staff and analysts after the team picked up their first goal and win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

City had lost all five of their previous visits to the ground, opened in 2018 to replace White Hart Lane, without registering a goal - missing two penalties in the process. However, a late Nathan Ake goal was enough for Pep Guardiola's side to book their place in the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of Spurs.

Not only was it their first goal at the stadium but it was a goal they had been working on for the past week in Abu Dhabi. Guardiola had insisted that the group were going to train seriously rather than simply for sun, and the rewards were instantly seen. Only three teams have more set-piece goals than City's eight in the league this season but set-piece coach Carlos Vicens and the coaching staff still recognised it as an area where they could improve.

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“We’ve worked on set pieces this week and we’ve been working hard - in Abu Dhabi and in Manchester. It’s something we worked on and thought it was an area where we could exploit," said Walker.

"It’s paid off - full credit to the set-piece coach who works hard and spends hours and hours watching videos. We just have to execute the plan. We’ve got a job - if we have to win games like that, we don’t mind, as long as we come away with the victory. That’s the most important for the club, the players and the fans.”

City returned from Abu Dhabi with an air of authority and picked up their seventh win in a row in all competitions to continue their defence of the Treble that they