‘We are not happy’ – Man City fall behind Arsenal in title race

Following City’s frustrating goalless draw at Sunderland on Thursday night, Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have taken the latest blow in this cat and mouse chase, four points clear at the top.

City dropped points as the Stadium of Light’s first day of 2026 almost reached freezing.

And Arsenal must keep their cool if they want to win their first top flight award in more than 20 years.

In the North East, City could only hold on to a tenacious Sunderland defense that had won a point for themselves.

After the game, City captain Bernardo Silva declared, “Two different halves.” “We didn’t play that well in the first half,” he said. The counter wasn’t managed as effectively as we should have.

We moved them to find spaces because we attacked a little too quickly. We had a lot more chances in the second half, but we couldn’t do it today.

We “wished more than this;” we are not content.

Both teams had chances to win all three points in goalless draws, which was thoroughly entertaining.

As the match progressed, the home fans gained more confidence, but City was unable to unlock the defense as Sunderland maintained their impressive unbeaten start at home this season.

Steph Houghton, a former Manchester City defender, said on BBC Match of the Day, “If you look at Sunderland’s home record, I think it’s a point well-earned.”

“They]city] will generally be disappointed by the chances they created, but if you look at clubs like Arsenal and Villa, you can go there and get a point because we are only halfway through the season,” says one critic.

City was unable to defeat the Black Cats in November, just like Arsenal.

And Regis le Bris, the Sunderland manager, was understandably pleased with the outcome, saying, “I’m enjoying]it. We displayed strong character in a game that was probably one of Europe’s best right now, in my opinion.

It was crucial to defend effectively. Because we tried to be aggressive and high up the pitch, I believe we made bold moves. We disrupted their routine, perhaps their flow, and that is what I believe was really crucial.

Despite losing the title race by two points, Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, returned to action after suffering from a hamstring injury.

The 29-year-old was forced to play just seven games this season after suffering a serious knee injury for the majority of last season.

Guardiola and supporters will be relieved to see the Spaniard play on the pitch in the second half after Rodri featured only once in three games.

Guardiola of the midfielder remarked, “He changed the game.” In 45 minutes, he demonstrated his superiority. Football is about the players, and Rodri and I both struggled in the first half.

He said, “We were more fluid, arrived better, moved better, and, hopefully, after a year and a half, we missed him greatly. “He made us a better team. “

However, there was conflicting information regarding the injury situation, and Guardiola claimed that Savinho “didn’t look good” after the Brazilian “hobbled off in the second half” while the team was waiting to find out how much of the problem Nico Gonzalez had.

The Sunderland game marked the start of City’s 10 games that will run until February 1st.

This will require them to keep players off the treatment table if they want to win silverware this term, which contributed to the year’s 2024-25 record of empty.