Manchester City 4-1 Tottenham

Before kick-off, the BBC's commentator described City as "the most exciting team in England today" and they certainly lived up to their billing. With Bill Nicholson's Spurs players slipping and sliding around on the icy surface, the boys in blue seemed to revel in the conditions and quickly put the Tottenham defence under pressure, with early chances for Tony Coleman and Alan Oakes.

But it was Spurs who struck first, when Jimmy Greaves - without a goal in six games before this - latched on to a Terry Venables free-kick after just six minutes.

The goal did not knock City out of their stride though and they continued to pour forward looking for an equaliser. It came 12 minutes later when Colin Bell pounced after Spurs failed to clear their lines.

Mike Summerbee headed City in front early in the second half and Tottenham looked to have little answer to the home side's silky attacking style. Joe Mercer's men wrapped up one of their most memorable wins with goals from Tony Coleman and Neil Young.

Defeated Spurs boss Bill Nicholson said: "I am certain that on a better pitch we would have given them a better game.

"But that is no excuse for the way we played. They were brilliant and certainly one of the best teams we have played."

Key Figures

Did You Know...?

The match was dubbed the 'Ballet on Ice' by City fans who still remember this as one of their club's best ever performances.

After the game, Tottenham were convinced the City players had discovered the secret to playing on such an icy surface, speculating it was down to the type of studs they used. One Spurs player told the Mirror: "It was extraordinary. City moved like Olympic speed skaters while we were falling around like clowns on a skid patch."

City forward Francis Lee had only just arrived at Maine Road, after Joe Mercer paid Bolton a club record £70,000 for him in October 1967. He scored five goals in his first eight games, and 16 in total that season as City won the title. Mercer described him as "the final piece of the jigsaw".

What Happened Next

Joe Mercer's City went on to win the League title for the first time since 1937, finishing just two points ahead of Manchester United, after a final day 4-3 win at Newcastle. It was the start of the most successful period in the club's history as they won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup-Winners' Cup over the next three years.