After Arsenal suffered a last-minute defeat at Villa Park on Saturday, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City had the chance to move within two points of the Premier League leaders—if they could overcome a Sunderland side already causing surprises in the 2025/26 campaign.

Guardiola made a single change from the previous game, bringing in Rayan Cherki for Tijjani Reijnders, and the 22-year-old was quickly involved, testing the Sunderland goal early with a shot off target.

City dominate early

Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats have earned praise this season for their style of play, but they were pinned back in their own defensive third during the opening 15 minutes. City enjoyed 77% possession, with 40.6% of the action occurring around Sunderland’s penalty area.

The first shot from the visitors came in the 16th minute from Enzo Le Fee, giving Sunderland a brief reprieve from City’s relentless pressure, which included two more quick-fire efforts from Phil Foden.

Cherki continued to shine, providing the assist for Ruben Dias’ stunning long-range strike, leaving goalkeeper Robin Roefs with no chance. It was Cherki’s fourth assist of the season, highlighting Guardiola’s decision to start him. City’s 17th first-half goal of the season put them clear at the top of the English top-flight in goals scored so far.

Josko Gvardiol made it 2-0 shortly after, rising to head home from Foden’s precise corner. Foden, back in form after a quiet spell, was involved in six one-on-one duels and registered the second-most touches in the Sunderland box (seven).

Sunderland, overrun in the first half, had 36.1% possession and failed to register a single shot on target—a trend mirrored in their other matches, with only Nottingham Forest having a worse record for failing to score before halftime.

Second-half onslaught

The pattern continued after the break. City fired four shots in two minutes, including a Jeremy Doku effort that rattled the post. Doku had been a constant threat, completing 93.1% of his passes and creating five chances, his best output since November 2023 against Bournemouth.

City stretched Sunderland’s defense, opening space for Nico Gonzalez and Bernardo Silva. Sunderland’s first shot on target came only in the 52nd minute from Wilson Isodor, followed by Granit Xhaka hitting the post.

Cherki’s audacious rabona assist set up an airborne Foden to head home City’s third, effectively sealing the game. Late substitutions did little to change the outcome, and Luke O’Nien was sent off for a serious foul in stoppage time.

Sunderland struggled with possession, with Nordi Mukiele and Enzo Le Fee losing the ball 23 times between them. Trai Hume was a rare bright spot, winning seven of nine duels and completing three of five tackles, but even his efforts were largely in vain. Sunderland managed only seven touches in City’s penalty area compared to City’s 42 in the opposite box and recorded a dismal 58.2% pass completion in the final third.

In the end, Manchester City’s dominance was absolute, with Cherki, Foden, and Dias leading a commanding performance that kept the title race very much alive.