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Something had to give and it was not Sunderland’s unbeaten home Premier League record. Instead Manchester City’s winning streak came to a juddering halt as Pep Guardiola’s side spurned a chance to move within two points of Arsenal at the top of the table.
Hats – or should that be chapeaus – off to Régis Le Bris and his clever and courageous Sunderland team for not merely frustrating City but offering Gianluigi Donnarumma scope to remind everyone precisely why he is a world-class goalkeeper.
As the final whistle blew, Erling Haaland had been contained, City’s run of eight straight wins in all competitions was over and it was all too easy to see why the Stadium of Light DJ has taken to playing the Dave Clark Five’s ‘Glad All Over’ shortly before kick-off.
It was Haaland’s first visit to the Stadium of Light and City’s no 9 did not take long to make his mark. Only six minutes had passed when Haaland flicked on Rayan Cherki’s corner and Bernardo Silva’s outstretched foot did the rest.
Yet as City celebrations were cut short and Sunderland’s goalkeeper, Robin Roefs, no longer looked quite so crestfallen it became apparent that a sharp-eyed linesman had detected that Silva was fractionally offside. When a lengthy video assistant referee confirmed that judgment it seemed that Silva must have overextended a toe.
It represented quite a reprieve for a Sunderland side that were sunk 3-0 at the Etihad in early December and, creditably, they endeavoured to make the very most of it.
Brian Brobbey has taken time to build his fitness up since arriving from Ajax shortly before the summer transfer deadline but the striker showed off eye catching strength to connect with a long ball and not so much shrug Rúben Dias off but bulldozer through the defender.
Brobbey had missed two excellent chances during last Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds but a fine save from Gianluigi Donnarumma ensured that it was not to be third time lucky for a centre forward well aware that Régis Le Bris is actively looking to reinforce his frontline this month.
If Sunderland’s manager was impressed by Brobbey’s disruptive physicality, Le Bris’s must also have been quietly encouraged by his entire team’s intelligence and competitiveness. Nordi Mukiele had, unusually, struggled against Dominic Calvert-Lewin during that Leeds visit but the former Paris Saint-Germain defender looked back to his best here and delighted in frequently subduing Haaland.
When, thanks to a clever interchange with Matheus Nunes and Phil Foden, the Norwegian finally succeeded in dodging Mukiele and his fellow minders Roefs reacted smartly to save the striker’s shot with his legs. Almost immediately Guardiola’s persistent pacing of the away technical area assumed the sort of manic intensity that was surely more about internal agitation than a riposte to the bitter Wearside chill.
As the temperature sunk below freezing point it served as a reminder that a day when public transport in the north east proved non-existent, having shut down for the New Year holiday, was hardly ideal for staging an 8pm kick-off. And especially not when visiting City fans faced an icy, three-hour, late night, trans-Pennine drive home.
At least there was plenty of excitement in a thrillingly end-to-end first half that was drawing to a close when Brobbey and Granit Xhaka, paved the way for a potentially pivotal moment. It involved Guardiola’s defence coming completely undone and Le Bris’s right-back, Trai Hume glancing a header narrowly over the bar.
Despite much decent approach play, City had only managed shots on target during the first 45 minutes. The introduction of the fit again Rodri at the outset of the second half helped changed that narrative.
With Foden now afforded more freedom to attack, Savinho swiftly directed one highly inviting, Cherki conjured, chance over the crossbar before prompting Roefs into a stellar save with his legs.
Yet if things seemed a little more straightforward for the visitors on the pitch, off it Guardiola’s future appeared cloaked in uncertainty.
The revelation that the former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has discussed the possibility of succeeding the Catalan should he opt to leave Manchester this summer with City officials added an air of intrigue to proceedings.
More immediately, one thing was as bright as the near full moon illuminating the Wearside skies; Sunderland were not about to surrender. Sure enough, City again had Donarumma’s excellence to thank for a brilliant save from Eliezer Mayenda after Enzo Le Fée’s sublime pass outwitted Guardiola’s rearguard.
The visiting manager’s distress was merely compounded by the success Xhaka and friends were enjoying in disrupting City’s customary midfield fluency. Not for the first time, Le Bris’s tactical blueprint was succeeding in frustrating high calibre opponents. At times it was hard to imagine that Sunderland were missing a quartet of key first teamers currently otherwise engaged at Afcon in Morocco.
Not that City gave up. The closing stages saw them force their hosts ever deeper, with a series of increasingly desperate blocks and interceptions preserving one of surely the most precious points Sunderland will collected this season.
