Tottenham Hotspur 3 - 4 Manchester City

Tottenham 3-4 Man City

Updated: February 4, 2004, 10:02 PM UK

Manchester City produced one of the greatest comebacks in FA Cup history as they came from three goals and a man down at half-time to beat Tottenham 4-3.

• Keegan disbelief

Ledley King, Robbie Keane and Christian Ziege appeared to have booked Spurs a fifth round tie at Manchester United with goals inside the first 43 minutes, especially as Joey Barton was dismissed after the half-time whistle for dissent.

But City gave a stunning second-half performance and won this replay with goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt, Shaun Wright-Phillips and a stoppage time header from Jon Macken.

The quartet could have saved manager Kevin Keegan his job and set up an exciting Manchester derby in the fifth round of the competition.

It was a dream start for Spurs as they took the lead in only the second minute thanks to a superb finish from King.

There seemed little danger for the visitors as defensive midfielder King had the ball on the right edge of the City box.

However, King stunned everyone as he turned inside and curled a peach of a left-foot drive inside the far top corner.

King does not score often - it was only his fourth for the club and his last goal was in September 2001 - but he does hold the record for the fastest goal ever scored in the Premiership, at just 10 seconds against Bradford in December 2000.

Even new signing Jermain Defoe must have been impressed with the finish, having been paraded on the pitch before kick-off.

Tottenham's fortunes took a turn for the worse, however, as after eight minutes Helder Postiga limped out of the action and was replaced by Gus Poyet.

Keane showed his class on 19 minutes when he ran on to Stephen Carr's chip over the defence, controlled superbly and made no mistake as he slid the ball past Arni Arason to make it five goals in his last six games.

It got worse for City as Nicolas Anelka appeared to suffer a groin strain and was forced out of the action after 27 minutes, being replaced by Jon Macken.

Spurs appeared to have sealed the tie four minutes before the break with another spectacular goal.

They won a free-kick in a central position just a few yards outside the penalty area when Barton fouled Michael Brown, for which he was booked. Ziege planted the ball over the wall and into the top right corner.

As if that was not bad enough for Keegan, Barton - booked earlier for a foul on Michael Brown - said something to referee Rob Styles as the half-time whistle sounded and the official produced a second yellow card, followed by the red to leave City with 10 men for the second half.

City should have been dead and buried but they scored with the simplest of set pieces just two minutes into the second half to leave Spurs feeling suitably embarrassed.

After winning a free-kick 30 yards from goal, Michael Tarnat shaped as if to drive in a shot. However, he instead chipped the ball into the left half of the area and Distin ghosted in unmarked to plant a header into the far corner - his second goal of the season.

City continued their remarkable transformation as they pulled back a second goal after 62 minutes when Bosvelt's shot took a wicked deflection off Anthony Gardner before creeping past Keller.

And the game entered the realm of legend as the City revival continued with Wright-Phillips grabbing an equaliser after 79 minutes.

He raced down the right on to Fowler's pass and scooped the ball over the dive of Keller and into the far corner, to rightfully send the City fans wild with delight and leave the home crowd stunned.

The replay looked to be heading into extra-time but City were not finished yet, and in stoppage time the Spurs defence went missing.

Tarnat crossed from the right and Macken steered a header inside the near post to complete a sensational comeback.

Keegan disbelief

Breathless Kevin Keegan hailed Manchester City's amazing 4-3 victory as 'the cup tie of my lifetime' and a 'triumph over adversity'.

The City boss had a stunned look on his face as he reflected on a match which saw his team trailing 3-0 at half time and reduced to 10 men, only for them to stage one of the greatest comebacks in FA Cup history and earn a fifth round tie at neighbours Manchester United.

'It was an incredible comeback and they'll talk about this long after I've gone,' said Keegan. 'I have never known anything like that.

'At half-time I said to the lads they were playing for pride and that I'd be looking for a miracle.

'Maybe miracle is too strong a word but it was a triumph over adversity and the cup tie of my lifetime.

'My players found something extra within themselves for the second half and that might be the turning point in our season.'

Spurs appeared home and dry at as goals from Ledley King, Robbie Keane and Christian Ziege put them in command in side the opening 41 minutes, before Joey Barton was shown a second yellow card for dissent after the first half whistle.

But City hit back with goals from Sylvain Distin, Paul Bosvelt and Shaun Wright-Phillips before Jon Macken headed a stoppage time winner.

Keegan said: 'At half time I walked off and said to Derek Fazackerley: 'Where's the nearest job centre?' We were three goals down and had ten men, so I asked `Faz' if there was a job centre around the corner.

'But our supporters got us back in the game, they were chanting for the team and made up our 11th man and the lads responded. Our fans are magnificent and they dragged us back into it.

'Although I am thrilled with the win I wasn't happy with our first-half performance, it had all things I don't like in a football team and it was my football team - we were very, very poor, although the result will mask that.

'Young Joey Barton has been excellent for us this season but he let us down tonight and the lads helped him out of a hole.

'If we can play like that with 11 men then nobody will beat us, so bring them all on.'

Tottenham's acting manager David Pleat said he was 'shellshocked' and accused his players of letting themselves down.

He said: 'The players let themselves down and our supporters must be gutted. I can only look at the reaction now and see how my players react and then move on from there.

'It is a shellshock and we have got to live with that. I thought we were sloppy in the first half and didn't deserve to be three up, then in the second half they got the breaks and fortune favours the brave sometimes.

'City deserve great credit because that was a massive, massive result, but we didn't do well enough.

'I hope the players will be self-critical because if they are not then they are the wrong type, and we can bounce back from this - that will be the real test.'