Sunderland 0 Manchester City 0: The Stadium of Light makes another intervention in Premier League title race
Analysis of Manchester City's goalless draw with Sunderland — a result that leaves them four points behind Arsenal in the table
As Arsenal found out in November, title bids come under close examination at the Stadium of Light.
And it was no different for Manchester City in their goalless draw with Sunderland on New Year’s Day, a result that leaves them four points behind Mikel Arteta’s side at the halfway point of the season.
The home side’s aggression and determination caused City issues throughout the game but the return of Jeremy Doku as a second-half substitute certainly helped Pep Guardiola’s side create some decent chances late on. Sunderland, though, held firm to maintain their impressive unbeaten home record this season.
Mark Carey dissects the events from a bruising evening on Wearside.
Two points dropped for City?
It might sound cliched, but the real winners from this game week are probably Arsenal.
A 4-1 victory over Aston Villa plus City, Liverpool and Chelsea dropping points means that Mikel Arteta’s side sit four points clear at the halfway stage.
Given Sunderland’s undefeated home record in the Premier League this season, a hard-fought draw and a clean sheet will still be somewhat pleasing to Pep Guardiola — even if they would have hoped for maximum points against a newly-promoted side.
(George Wood/Getty Images)
In truth, Thursday’s result does not move the dial much in the title-race conversation. City are still within touching distance of Arsenal with 50 per cent of the season remaining and the pair facing each other in April.
Performances have been rather flat across the league over the festive period, but this will serve as a reminder to Guardiola’s side that they cannot afford to drop any more points in games they are expected to win, giving further confidence to Arsenal as they bid to hunt them down.
No team has left The Stadium of Light victorious this campaign, so City fans should be happy to take a point and move on to a tasty clash against Chelsea at the weekend.
The fascinating Haaland and Mukiele subplot
You may think of it as a guarantee each time he takes to the field, but even Erling Haaland cannot score every game.
Sunderland’s Nordi Mukiele was the key reason that the Norwegian international was quiet at The Stadium of Light, providing an old-school battle between centre-back and centre-forward that would not have been out of place in the 1990s.
Mukiele used all of his European experience to ruffle the feathers of Haaland — particularly in the first half, where he was winning aerial battles, cutting out any dangerous passes, and coming out on top in one-v-one situations. It was a cultured defensive performance from the 28-year-old, who was equally as composed on the ball, which only served to frustrate City’s forward line more.
