MOUNTED police, dog handlers and stewards quelled the threat of a

major riot after Manchester City fans poured on to the pitch at Maine

Road two minutes from the end of yesterday's FA Cup quarter-final, which

their team lost

4-2 to Spurs.

Surrey referee Ray Lewis was forced to take the players off the pitch

just seconds after Terry Phelan had scored City's second goal.

There was a delay of 13 minutes as the pitch was cleared and 20

arrests were made. An army of stewards and police guarded the North

Stand, which had been given over to 7500 Spurs fans, but some of them

broke through to engage in brief fighting.

Eleven police horses and their riders appeared from a corner of the

stadium to stifle the disturbance.

But there is bound to be a high-level inquiry by the Football

Association, and the only consolation was that the ugly scenes did not

obliterate Spurs' brilliant win, inspired by Nayim's hat trick.

Nayim, the former Spanish under-21 internationalist from Morocco, was

only playing because of the absence of striker Nick Barmby, on England

youth championship duty in Australia, and he half-volleyed a

twenty-fifth-minute equaliser after Mike Sheron had put City ahead with

a header after 10 minutes.

Early in the second half, with Spurs in front courtesy of a Steve

Sedgley drive, Nayim left City's hopes in tatters by grabbing his second

goal -- and five minutes from time he struck again with a measured shot

to complete his hat trick following good work by Paul Allen.

There was still time after the teams returned following the invasion

for Teddy Sheringham to shoot wide from a penalty after Keith Curle, the

City captain, brought down substitute Andy Turner.

In the FA Cup draw that followed, Spurs were paired with north London

rivals Arsenal for a repeat of the 1991 semi-final. Full FA Cup

semi-final draw:

Derby County or Sheffield Wednesday v Blackburn Rovers or Sheffield

United; Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur.

(Ties to be played on Sunday, April 4.)