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.”