StadiumPosts Logo
Stay upto date with notifications from Stadiumposts
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences

MAN CITY CLOSES GAP: RUBEN DIAS, JOSKO GVARDIOL GOALS SINK SUNDERLAND 3-0

Manchester City's 3-0 win over Sunderland, featuring goals from Dias, Gvardiol, and Foden, puts them just two points behind Arsenal. Confidence is high before the Real Madrid clash.

Man City Closes Gap: Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol Goals Sink Sunderland 3-0
Dias and Gvardiol Inspire City Victory

Manchester City narrowed Arsenal's Premier League lead to two points with a solid 3-0 victory against Sunderland on Saturday.

Central defenders Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol put Pep Guardiola's team ahead with two quick goals before halftime at the Etihad Stadium.

Phil Foden sealed the win after 65 minutes, with his fifth goal in three games made possible by Rayan Cherki’s great play.

The Frenchman's excellent rabona cross set up Foden's header, which hit the bar before going in.

That moment took the wind out of Sunderland's sails. They ended the game with 10 players after substitute Luke O’Nien was sent off late in the match.

Before Foden's goal, Sunderland, who started the day in fifth place, looked like they might get back into the game. Instead, they were left regretting their slow start. City, after tough games against Leeds and Fulham recently, were happy to avoid another close call.

Now, they head to Real Madrid for their Champions League match on Wednesday feeling confident, knowing their title hopes are back on track.

The game started slowly, and City had to be patient to take advantage of Arsenal's loss to Aston Villa.

The first half-hour wasn't very exciting, although Enzo Le Fee came close for Sunderland with a shot from a distance. a distance.

City took control with goals from unexpected sources, Dias and Gvardiol.

Dias scored first with a powerful shot into the top corner from 25 yards in the 31st minute after moving up to support the attack.

Before Sunderland could regroup, City doubled their lead.

This time, Gvardiol scored, timing his jump perfectly to head in a Foden corner at the far post.

City almost scored a third early in the second half when Jeremy Doku dribbled through and hit a low shot against the post, and Foden's attempt on the rebound was blocked.

That close call seemed to wake Sunderland up, and Dias made a mistake moments later, giving Wilson Isidor a chance. Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted quickly to block the shot.

Sunderland came even closer when Granit Xhaka hit the post from a corner, but Erling Haaland was denied by a header off the line by Lutsharel Geertruida.

City increased their pressure, and Haaland, who barely touched the ball in the first half, started an attack with a run upfield.

He passed to Cherki, who reached the byline, cut back, and delivered a perfect assist for Foden to head in.

Cherki could have added a goal himself, but shot straight at Robin Roefs, who also tipped a shot from Doku over the bar.

Sunderland's day got worse when O’Nien, who had only come on in the 88th minute, was sent off for a bad foul on Matheus Nunes.

"I’M UPSET" PEP GUARDIOLA’S HILARIOUS RESPONSE TO MANCHESTER CITY’S TRANSFER BUDGET

Pep Guardiola hits back at "big spender" claims, revealing six clubs have higher net spends than City. Get the full injury news.

top-news
Pep Guardiola mocks "big spender" label

Pep Guardiola couldn’t resist poking fun at Manchester City’s big-spender label, joking that he’s annoyed with the club’s bosses for not splashing out even more in the transfer market. City did bring in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January, bumping their spending over the last year to £430 million. But here’s the thing—City have also raked in hundreds of millions from player sales, and if you look at net spend over the last five years, six Premier League clubs, including Newcastle (who they’re facing in the Carabao Cup semi-final), have actually outspent them.

Guardiola has pushed back plenty of times against the idea that City just buy their way to success. This time, he couldn’t resist turning the spotlight on the teams that have spent even more. “Honestly, I’m a bit sad and upset because, in terms of net spend, we’re only seventh in the league over the past five years. I want to be first—I don’t get why the club doesn’t spend more. I’m a little grumpy with them,” he laughed.

He kept going: “People say we only win because we spend tonnes of money, but now there are six teams ahead of us. So, they’ve got to win all the Premier Leagues, Champions Leagues, and FA Cups, right? That’s just the reality, not an opinion.

“You can argue about how we played against Spurs—good or bad, that’s up for debate. But these spending numbers? That’s just a fact. Good luck to those six teams ahead of us on net spend. Let’s see what they do. That’s a good quote, isn’t it?”

Right now, City has a 2-0 lead over Newcastle with one leg left in the Carabao Cup semi-final. They’re hungry for another trip to Wembley, but hanging onto leads hasn’t been easy for them this season.

“That’s our focus right now,” Guardiola said. “We’re one game away from making a fifth Carabao Cup final in ten years. Sure, I’d rather start 2-0 up, but we know how tough it is against Newcastle. They’ve got Champions League pride; they always fight.

“We’ve got to be ready. Let’s see how the players bounce back after that hard game at Spurs. We’ll play our football, with our fans behind us, and try to book our place at Wembley in March.”

THE 10-GAME DROUGHT OVER: HOW HAALAND FINALLY FOUND THE NET AGAIN TODAY.

Erling Haaland ends his 10-game goal drought as Manchester City beat Galatasaray 2-0 to secure a spot in the UCL Last 16.

top-news
City through to Last 16 as Haaland ends his scoring drought

Erling Haaland finally broke his scoring drought, and Manchester City squeezed into the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Galatasaray.

Haaland hadn’t scored from open play in ten matches, but he put that to rest with a calm finish. Rayan Cherki gave City their second just before halftime. Pep Guardiola’s team handled the Turkish side at the Etihad, but honestly, it wasn’t a smooth ride.

Other results went City’s way, so this win pushed the defending champions up to eighth in the league phase. That means they dodged the dreaded play-off round—the one that tripped them up last season.

After the final whistle, players, coaches, and fans were left waiting for results from other games. When word came through that Real Madrid had lost at Benfica, everyone in sky blue could finally relax. They’d done enough.

The night wasn’t all good news, though. Jeremy Doku, who lit up the first half and set up both goals, picked up an injury and joined City’s already long list of casualties.

Still, City will be relieved. They won’t have to deal with two extra games next month, and with four competitions on the go, every bit of rest matters.

Galatasaray’s travelling fans showed up in force. They packed city bars, marched through the streets, and set off fireworks on the way to the ground. But by the end, they were silent.

Their team, featuring old City faces Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane, managed to cling onto a spot in the top 24. Not much to celebrate, but it’s something.

City came out flying. They nearly scored inside three minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri whipped in a cross for Haaland, but the Norwegian headed wide.

He didn’t miss his next chance. Seven minutes later, Doku zipped through the Galatasaray defence and slipped a pass to Haaland, who raced clear. Bardakci couldn’t keep up, and goalkeeper Cakir had no chance as Haaland coolly chipped the ball over him.

The city pushed for more. Cakir had to tip over a rocket from Nico O’Reilly. The second goal arrived in 29 minutes—Doku danced into the box, pulled it back for Cherki, and Cherki swept it home.

That was Doku’s last big moment. After taking some rough hits in recent games, he picked up another knock and limped off.

Galatasaray barely threatened before halftime, apart from a weak effort from Victor Osimhen. But they found more energy after the break, especially after Kurdish demonstrators briefly paused the game.

Osimhen was their main danger man. He headed at Gianluigi Donnarumma, then forced a save with a first-time shot.

The city nearly added a third when Omar Marmoush found himself in a great spot but lost his footing at the crucial moment.

A clash of heads between Tijjani Reijnders and Davinson Sanchez brought a long stoppage. Both players got bandaged up and played on, but the tempo never really picked up again.

The game fizzled out, but City did what they needed to do. They’re through.

Premier League Standings

WhatsApp Read More News