Manchester City capitalized on Arsenal’s recent missteps to beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad and close the gap at the top of the Premier League to two points.
The league leaders lost in the early hours of kick-off to Emiliano Buendia’s 95th-minute winner at Villa Park, but the door remained open and gave Josep Guardiola’s side all the impetus they needed to properly reinvigorate their title contention.
After an effective first half, Ruben Dias scored a superb opener from on target, and fellow centre-back Josko Gvardiol rose to the top after Phil Foden’s inswinging corner, giving City a two-goal lead with just two shots on target. The combined xG value of these efforts was only 0.20.
Guardiola had called for less chaos after scoring eight goals in their last three league games, but after a businesslike first half, City were again substandard in the second half, with Gianluigi Donnarumma denying Wilson Isidore in a one-on-one and Granit Xhaka having to hit the post.
Ruben Diaz took the lead with a screamer.
But chasing the Championship required deeper determination and after a momentary scare City were able to secure victory when the sensational Rayan Cherki scored Foden’s fifth goal in three games at the brink of rabona.
And there was still time for things to go south for Sunderland when Luke O’Nien was sent off seven minutes into the game for a reckless and high attack on Matheus Nunez.
While City returned to second place, Sunderland suffered their biggest defeat in the league this season, dropping one place to seventh.
Best Player: Rayan Cherki
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Manchester City forward Rayan Cherki takes Labona’s cross against Sunderland at the Etihad and sets up Foden’s header!
No player represented Manchester City more than Cherki. Cherki completed the most dribbles (5), created the most chances (6) and contributed in 6 defensive actions of all players on the park. His expected goals and assists total (1.21) were also game-high, along with his 111 touches on the ball.
Although he didn’t get a goal to match his performance, he did have two assists (the second one was very good) and it was enough to earn him a standing ovation from the Etihad crowd when he was sent off in the 82nd minute. Cherki contributed as many assists (5 assists) as he started this season.
But it wasn’t the 22-year-old’s talent or skill that impressed Pep most. Thanks to his ability to execute the basics well, he had an 88% pass accuracy and won seven ground battles. “What I admire most is his simplicity, the way he does simple things perfectly,” Guardiola said.
Guardiola seeks consistency as Cherki receives praise
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Man City manager Josep Guardiola says he wants simplicity from Rayan Cherki after Rabona’s brilliant assist for Phil Foden’s goal against Sunderland
Man City manager Josep Guardiola:
On fighting for the title: “From my experience, it’s better to be closer than further away, and I’ve won the title before, but it’s about consistency. It’s not about getting a result one day or winning by two points, it’s about consistency and how much you can improve in a year.”
“Today was probably one of the best performances of the year for 95 minutes. We have good momentum. Fulham were very good in the first half and stopped in the second half, but today we had a good performance throughout the 90 minutes. Arsenal will drop points bit by bit and if we want to be there we have to win games. Winning comes from performance, not from a lucky day or a lucky move.”
Regarding Cherki’s performance: “Ryan is an extraordinary player. He is very young. He has a great personality and is always developing. He gives us extra passes and he is not afraid. He has something special in the final third. What I admire most is not skill, but simplicity. What I learned from[Lionel]Messi is that he never does the simple thing wrong. Never. He does the simple thing perfectly.”
Le Bris hints at fatigue issue
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris:
“The difficult thing is to repeat performances at such a high level. We had a strong Sunderland against Liverpool[three days ago]but today we lacked the intensity. We defended well, but we weren’t good enough to be competitive. We weren’t the best Sunderland today.”
“They were fresh. We worked hard. I don’t think the derby[against Newcastle]was in our minds. In the end, we didn’t perform well enough. But it’s a good week for us with four points. We’re not the only ones struggling here this season. We’ll learn from the experience to prepare for the derby.”
