Manchester City started the new calendar year with a 0-0 draw at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. Pep Guardiola’s side missed the opportunity to move back within two points of the Gunners after an entertaining stalemate.
Key Match Details:
- The result means City extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches and now sit four points behind leaders Arsenal at the halfway point of the campaign.
- Bernardo Silva thought he’d opened the scoring just five minutes in when he touched home a corner flicked on by Erling Haaland, but the captain was narrowly offside.
Sunderland grew into the game, but neither side truly looked likely to beat the goalkeepers in front of them before the break. The start of the second half brought an uplifting moment for City fans as Rodri took to the pitch for the first time since a brief substitute appearance in early November.
The Spaniard started a move barely a minute into his return that brought City’s best chance yet, but Savinho cleared the bar with his attempt from Rayan Cherki’s low cross. As the hour mark passed, Roefs again denied City when sub Josko Gvardiol ghosted into the box and glanced a header on target.
Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden then came even closer, only for brave defensive heads to block their goal-bound shots. Gvardiol, now spending more time in the Sunderland box than his own half, flicked a cross onto the outside of the post from all of 12 yards.
City threw everything at the hosts in the closing stages but couldn’t force a winner in a typical Premier League battle.
After the match, Man City manager Pep Guardiola said, “Good. Take the point. The second half was excellent. We missed. We could not score in the six-yard box. How many times were we in the six-yard box against the keeper and could not convert? Of course, the threat they have, they are really good.”