Guardiola ‘not happy’ after draw at Sunderland

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, said his side can ill-afford many slip-ups in their quest to hunt down leaders Arsenal.

City’s draw at the Stadium of Light left leaders Arsenal four points clear at the top of the table, increasing the pressure on the defending champions as the season reaches its midpoint.

City dominated possession and created chances but were unable to break down Sunderland’s defence, which extended its unbeaten home record.

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“Two different halves. 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 quickly – 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.”,” City captain Bernardo Silva said after the match.

The draw followed a similar result for Arsenal at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, underlining Sunderland’s record at home.

Guardiola questioned whether the title race should be seen as a two-horse contest, but acknowledged his side’s frustration at failing to take all three points.

There was some encouragement for City as Rodri returned from injury in the second half, making his first appearance in several weeks.

“He changed the game,” Guardiola said.

“He proved in 45 minutes that he is the best in his position.”

Guardiola added that City improved after Rodri’s introduction but confirmed concerns over injuries to Savinho and Nico Gonzalez.

Sunderland manager Regis le Bris praised his team’s performance, saying: “It was important to defend well… We created a few chances as well, so it was a good game.”

City now faces a congested run of fixtures across four competitions through to early February.