Pep Guardiola questioned whether it was only a two-horse Premier League title race, but his Manchester City side can ill-afford many slip-ups in their quest to hunt down leaders Arsenal.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have struck the latest blow in this cat and mouse chase, four points clear at the summit following City’s frustrating goalless draw at Sunderland on Thursday night.
City dropped points as the temperature at the Stadium of Light almost hit freezing on the first day of 2026.
And Arsenal will need to maintain their cool if they are to claim their first top-flight crown in over two decades.
City had 67% possession and 14 shots in the North East, but were unable to break down a stubborn Sunderland defence who claimed a well-earned point.
“Two different halves,” said City captain Bernardo Silva after the game. “In the first half we didn’t play that well. We didn’t control the counter as well as we should.
“We attacked a bit too quick – we didn’t move them to find spaces. Second half we had a lot more chances and today was one of those days we couldn’t finish them.
“We are not happy because we wanted better than this.”
As goalless draws go, this was an thoroughly entertaining one with both teams having chances to claim all three points.
The home fans grew in confidence as the match wore on but City could not find the key to unlock the defence as Sunderland maintained their impressive unbeaten record at home this season.
“If you look at Sunderland‘s home record I think it’s a point well-earned,” former Manchester City defender Steph Houghton said on BBC Match of the Day.
“They [City] will overall be disappointed because of the chances they created but if you look at the likes of Arsenal and Aston Villa, to go there and get a point, we are half way through the season, there is a long, long way to go.”
Just like Arsenal in November, City could not beat the Black Cats.
And Sunderland boss Regis le Bris was understandably delighted by the result, saying: “I’m enjoying [it]. I think we showed strong character against probably one of the best teams in Europe at the minute.
“It was important to defend well. I think we were bold because we tried to be aggressive and high up the pitch. I think we disturbed their routine, maybe their flow and it was really important.
“We created a few chances as well, so it was a good game.”
While it was two points dropped in the title race, there was positive news for City with 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri returning to action from a hamstring issue.
The 29-year-old missed the majority of last season after sustaining a serious knee injury and has been limited to just seven appearances this term.
The sight of the Spaniard taking to the pitch in the second half will be of relief to Guardiola and supporters, after Rodri featured in just one minute of action over the past three months.
“He changed the game,” said Guardiola of the midfielder. “He proved in 45 minutes that he is the best in his position. Football is about the players, with the build-up we struggled in the first half and with Rodri we struggled less.
“He broke the lines, we were more fluid, arrived better, we moved better and hopefully one year and a half without him we missed him a lot so hopefully he can stay because he makes us a better team.”
There was, however, mixed news on the injury front and Guardiola said Savinho “doesn’t look good” after the Brazilian hobbled off in the second half, while they await the extent of the issue suffered by Nico Gonzalez.
The Sunderland game marked the start of 10 games in four different competitions for City, a run which goes up until 1 February.
They will need to keep players off the treatment table if they are to claim silverware this term, a problem which contributed to finishing 2024-25 empty handed.
One season without a trophy is major woe for Guardiola and City, two would be downright unthinkable.
