Sunderland maintained their impressive streak at home in the Premier League, going unbeaten in their last 10 matches after securing a goalless draw against Manchester City.
The match at the Stadium of Light was lively, with both teams creating several opportunities. Bernardo Silva had a goal ruled out for offside early on, while efforts from Brian Brobbey and Erling Haaland were saved before halftime.
Trai Hume narrowly headed over before the break, while Savinho and Eliezer Mayenda both had chances blocked in the second half. Substitute Josko Gvardiol struck the post with 16 minutes remaining, keeping the scoreline at zero.
This result leaves City four points behind league leaders Arsenal while Sunderland holds onto seventh place in the standings.
Sunderland made one alteration from their previous draw with Leeds, incorporating Mayenda into the lineup, while Savinho and Nathan Aké started for Pep Guardiola’s side.
City thought they had scored just six minutes into the match when Haaland deflected Rayan Cherki‘s corner to Silva, who volleyed home, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Following a strong display of possession by City, Sunderland created their first real chance in the 19th minute when Brobbey seized upon Nordi Mukiele‘s long pass and darted down the center, only to be denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma before the follow-up attempt was cleared.
Hume fired over as Sunderland continued to press, and Mayenda’s shot was deflected behind just before he headed wide from the resulting corner.
City posed a threat when Phil Foden set up an unmarked Haaland inside the box, but the striker’s shot was saved by Robin Roefs. Sunderland quickly countered, with a dangerous cross from Mayenda being cleared by City’s defense.
A crucial opportunity for the hosts arose just before halftime when Granit Xhaka provided a cross into Hume, who headed just over the bar.
Rodri was substituted in for Nico González at the start of the second half, and City threatened again when Cherki raced down the right flank, setting up Savinho, who missed the target by firing over.
Quickly afterward, Savinho had a shot from a tight angle saved by Roefs, and Haaland sent the rebound sailing over the bar, while Donnarumma was called upon to stop a shot from Simon Adingra at the other end.
Sunderland pressed on with the offense as Enzo Le Fée set up Mayenda, prompting another save from Donnarumma.
Gvardiol made an impressive run into the box, where his header from Rodri’s cross was saved by Roefs, while City continued to apply pressure with Silva firing a shot into a packed penalty area.
Substitute Jérémy Doku skillfully dribbled into the box, striking a powerful shot that hit Mukiele, with Silva’s follow-up attempt going over. A near miss occurred for City in the 74th minute when Gvardiol’s acrobatic effort struck the post.
Xhaka found Wilson Isidor down the left, but Donnarumma was quick to close down the angle and claimed the ball effectively.
As the match reached a frantic conclusion, Gvardiol’s close-range shot was blocked, and a swirling end-to-end play saw a Sunderland counter well defended before Roefs made a straightforward save from Tijjani Reijnders’s shot in the dying moments.