Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland: Cherki stars as City go within two points of Arsenal | OneFootball

Manchester City claimed a 3-0 win over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium, securing a third consecutive Premier League victory to edge ever closer to Arsenal in first. Rayan Cherki shone, and goals from Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol and Phil Foden settled a contest that briefly threatened to tilt in the visitors’ favour early in the second half, before City’s control and quality shone through.

Pep Guardiola’s side entered the weekend under pressure after a chaotic run of 3-2 and 5-4 wins, but delivered a far more assured display ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Real Madrid. Sunderland, meanwhile, slipped to seventh despite a spirited showing immediately after the restart, where they hit the post and were denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma before Foden ended any hopes of a comeback. A late red card for Luke O’Nien compounded a difficult afternoon for Régis Le Bris’ side.

As it happened

Sunderland frustrated Manchester City for the opening half-hour, staying compact and disrupting the hosts’ rhythm despite conceding the majority of possession. But the breakthrough arrived on 31 minutes when Dias took a square pass from Cherki, stepped inside and unleashed a stunning strike into the top corner from distance.

Just four minutes later, City doubled their lead. Foden delivered an inswinging corner from the right, and Gvardiol rose above his marker to power a header past Robin Roefs for 2-0.

The visitors’ best spell came 10 minutes after the restart. Wilson Isidor intercepted a loose Dias pass but was denied one-on-one by Donnarumma, before Granit Xhaka struck the post from a half-cleared corner. The missed chances proved costly.

City responded with a third goal on 65 minutes, and it was the pick of the afternoon. After a sweeping break, Cherki beat Trai Hume down the flank and produced a sensational rabona cross, which Foden met with a leaping header off the underside of the bar.

Guardiola used the comfortable margin to rotate, withdrawing Foden, Erling Haaland and Gvardiol ahead of midweek European duties. Sunderland’s frustration grew, and deep into added time O’Nien was dismissed following a VAR review for a high challenge on Matheus Nunes.

The hosts managed the closing stages with ease, sealing a deserved win as they kept pace with leaders Arsenal.

The line-ups