Sunderland Hold Manchester City to 0-0 Draw

Kenya, 2 January 2026 - Sunderland continued their remarkable unbeaten home run in the 2025–26 Premier League season by holding Manchester City to a 0–0 draw at the Stadium of Light on New Year’s Day, dealing a blow to Pep Guardiola’s title push and leaving City four points behind leaders Arsenal at the halfway stage of the campaign.

In a highly competitive encounter, Sunderland’s defence stood firm against a dominant City side that enjoyed the overall share of possession. Manchester City created several promising opportunities, including an early effort by Bernardo Silva that was ruled out for offside, and could not convert any into a goal.

City’s attacking pressure intensified after the break, with substitute Josko Gvardiol coming close by striking the post and Erling Haaland seeing his low effort saved, but Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs produced crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet.

Sunderland’s resilience was also clear in their ability to absorb pressure and thwart City’s high-tempo approach. The result maintained their unbeaten record at home in league play this season, extending it to 10 matches, a remarkable achievement for a newly promoted side.

For Manchester City, the stalemate halted their eight-match winning run in all competitions and prevented them from cutting the gap at the top of the table. Having dominated large stretches of the game and racked up expected goals, City were left to rue missed opportunities as they slipped further adrift of Arsenal, who sit four points clear following Arsenal’s own victory earlier in the week.