Premier League Title Hopes Stall as Manchester City Suffers Draw at Sunderland

Image Source: Internet

The Premier League's New Year's Day programme brought a disappointing goal drought, with three 0-0 draws, including Manchester City's stalemate at Sunderland. This result left City four points behind leaders Arsenal, who extended their lead after a 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on Tuesday. City, who had a eight-match winning streak in all competitions, were frustrated by Sunderland's stubborn defense, which included a series of saves by goalkeeper Robin Roefs. City's closest chance came in the second half when Josko Gvardiol's header shaved the post. Sunderland's draw at home to City is their third consecutive draw against top-flight teams, following draws with Arsenal and Aston Villa. They are only the second promoted team to remain unbeaten in their first 10 home games in a Premier League campaign. Arsenal's victory over Villa has put them on 45 points at the halfway stage of the season, while City have 41 points after their second league draw of the season. Next up for Arsenal is a trip to struggling Bournemouth, while City face Chelsea at home on Saturday. The day's other draws were between Liverpool and Leeds, which saw Liverpool produce a lacklustre display, and between Brentford and Tottenham, which ended Tottenham's 137-game run in the Premier League without a goalless draw. In other matches, Fulham's Tom Cairney scored a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Palace, while Leeds earned a crucial point in their bid to stay clear of the relegation zone. The draw left Palace winless in six matches in all competitions, while Fulham moved up to 11th place on 27 points.