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MANCHESTER CITY’S Premier League title challenge suffered a major setback as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Thursday.
Pep Guardiola’s side would have closed within two points of leaders Arsenal with a win at the Stadium of Light.
But in their first game of 2026, they delivered a spluttering display that left them four points adrift of the Gunners.
City’s New Year’s Day stalemate ruined their eight-match winning run in all competitions.
After Arsenal’s 4-1 rout of third-placed Aston Villa on Tuesday, second-placed City have surrendered the initiative at the halfway point of the title race.
City will look to bounce back at home to troubled Chelsea on Sunday after the Blues parted company with boss Enzo Maresca on Thursday.
Reportedly on the verge of signing Bournemouth’s Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo, Guardiola could do with reinforcements in attack after his team were frustrated by Sunderland’s tenacious performance.
City beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium on 6 December, but Guardiola predicted a far more difficult encounter in the rematch, and his fears proved well-founded.
Sunderland are unbeaten in their first 10 home league games this season and have held City and Arsenal to draws on Wearside.
On a freezing evening with a biting wind whipping off the North Sea, City made heavy weather of their attempt to close the gap on Arsenal.
They were denied a sixth-minute opener when Bernardo Silva’s close-range strike was ruled offside after Erling Haaland flicked on Rayan Cherki’s corner.
Brian Brobbey should have given Sunderland the lead after out-muscling Ruben Dias and racing into the penalty, but his shot was too close to City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Haaland found it difficult to shake off Sunderland’s imposing centre-back Nordi Mukiele in the first half.
The City striker finally escaped Mukiele’s attentions, only to shoot straight at Sunderland keeper Robin Roefs after Phil Foden’s pass found him 10 yards from goal.
Sunderland’s Trai Hume squandered a golden opportunity when the unmarked defender headed over from 12 yards on the stroke of half-time.
City’s two attempts were their joint-fewest in the first half of a league game this season.
Guardiola responded to City’s lethargy by sending on Rodri for the injury-plagued Spain midfielder’s first appearance since 2 November, when he played for one minute against Bournemouth.
Savinho was guilty of a woeful miss when he fired wide from Cherki’s pass just after the interval, and the Brazilian fluffed his lines again moments later, failing to beat Roefs from close-range.
Guardiola hauled off Savinho after those blunders, sending on Belgian winger Jeremy Doku after four games out with a calf injury.
City had to ride their luck as Donnarumma saved Simon Adingra’s strike at his near post before making an even better stop to repel Eliezer Mayenda’s blast.
In a frantic finale, Josko Gvardiol couldn’t squeeze his header past Roefs.
Gvardiol also sent an audacious back-flick against the post and had a close-range shot blocked with the goal at his mercy, leaving Guardiola to count the cost of their toothless display.
Meanwhile, Thomas Frank was frustrated on his return to Brentford as Tottenham were held to a goalless draw at the Gtech Stadium.
Frank, who managed the Bees for seven years and 317 games, guiding them to promotion in 2021, was making his first trip back to west London since joining Spurs in the summer.
He received a warm reception as he strode out onto the pitch and applauded all four sides of his old ground before kick-off.
But that was about as good as it got for the Dane, with Spurs not managing a single effort on target until stoppage time and their fans chanting ‘boring, boring Tottenham’ towards the end of a dour encounter.
Brennan Johnson was a notable absentee from the travelling squad as the Wales winger is closing in on a move to Crystal Palace.
Additional reporting by Press Association
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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