In the first match of 2026, Manchester City returned from newly promoted Sunderland’s ground with a goalless draw in the Premier League. No matter how hard the Citizens tried, the scoreboard stayed unchanged — 0:0.
Once again, the spotlight was on Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker took two shots during the match, but neither found the target. In other words, City’s biggest “weapon” failed to fire again.
As a result, Sunderland kept their status as the only Premier League team to completely shut down Haaland. Interestingly, Haaland has scored at least once against each of the other 23 teams he has faced in the league — but the “lock” still hasn’t been opened against Sunderland.
To recap, Sunderland returned to the top flight before the season began. In early December, the previous meeting with City ended 0–3, yet Haaland didn’t score in that game either.
In short, it’s a big plus for Sunderland: two games, zero Haaland goals. For City, one question grows even louder: how do you break down this “fortress” and get Haaland scoring?
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
Users of Меҳмон are not allowed to comment this publication.
