Guardiola frustrated by Manchester Citys poor finishing in goalless Sunderland stalemate

Pep Guardiola conceded that Manchester City suffered due to their wasteful finishing during a 0-0 stalemate with Sunderland on Thursday, which significantly damaged their Premier League title aspirations.

Guardiola's team put on a disjointed performance marked by numerous missed opportunities, enabling Arsenal to strengthen their hold on the title race.

Savinho and Josko Gvardiol bore much of the blame, with glaring second-half failures after City began to gain traction against Sunderland's resilient showing.

City, sitting in second position, now trail the top team Arsenal by four points, whereas victory would have narrowed it to just two at the seasons midpoint in the title contest.

"We missed so many opportunities close to goal, the easy ones, but failed to score," Guardiola remarked.

"We generated plenty of openings. The first half did not follow our plan but the second half saw better play. The effort and hunger differed from the initial period.

"Savinhos two efforts in the second half, along with Jeremy (Doku), Josko (Gvardiol), Phil (Foden) and Erling (Haaland). Plenty came our way yet we could not capitalise."

This outcome snapped Citys eight-game winning streak across competitions and posed a serious hurdle to their championship ambitions.

City joined others struggling to overcome Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, where the hosts remain undefeated in 10 league matches following their promotion from the Championship last term.

Guardiola admitted the scoreline had deflated his squad and he encouraged a swift recovery ahead of Chelseas visit to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, following their managers dismissal earlier that day.

"Sunderland possess real physicality. Theyre tough, so this outcome does not shock. We accept the draw. The final score stands as it is," he noted.

"The players look a bit down but we must lift our spirits with a tough Chelsea match in three days."

City showed marked progress after Rodri entered at halftime.

The Spanish midfielder, hampered by injuries, made his return since early November, limited to just one minute against Bournemouth.

Maintaining Rodris regular involvement will prove vital for City in their pursuit of Arsenal.

Highlighting Rodris contribution, Guardiola commented: "The first half proved challenging against their pressure, but Rodri provided the key passes in the second half to pierce the lines, allowing us to advance."