Ashley Williams has told The FA Cup that Nathan Ake controlled Bukayo Saka during Manchester City’s FA Cup win over Arsenal on Friday, insisting that he was not afraid to go up against the Gunners star.
Few players in the world seem to be in better form than Saka right now. The 21-year-old is reaching scary levels for Mikel Arteta’s side, with his recent strike against Manchester United taking his tally to seven goals and seven assists in the Premier League for the top-flight leaders.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, their FA Cup run is already over. They were beaten 1-0 by City at the Etihad Stadium by Pep Guardiola’s men.
Nathan Ake lauded for performance up against Bukayo Saka
It was Ake who scored the only goal of the contest. But it was his display at the other end of the pitch which was particularly impressive.
The Dutchman was named as the man of the match. And Williams lauded the way he managed to handle Saka in the victory.
“He had a really good night against one of the most in-form players in the country at the minute, against Saka. I thought he controlled him really well. He’s so difficult to play against. He works his feet well. He’s patient, and he’s strong. And he looks to play out from the back,” he told The FA Cup.
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“He’s not scared to be one v one with someone like Saka.”
Saka has been outstanding throughout his time in the Arsenal first-team. But his performances this year have gone to another level. There have only been four league games since August where Saka has not managed to score or provide an assist.
Few full-backs have been able to deal with him. So it says everything about how well Ake is playing right now that he was able to contain Saka.
Certainly, Manchester City will hope that they have struck a psychological blow ahead of a crucial few weeks. They face Arsenal twice more, in the Premier League. And those games could have a huge say on where the title ends up going.
How Saka plays in those games could have a big impact on the overall result. So City will take major encouragement from Ake’s display on Friday.