Bernardo Silva makes title race admission as Manchester City lose further ground to Arsenal
Manchester City captain Bernardo Silva reflected on his side’s goalless draw against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Thursday evening.
Pep Guardiola’s side are now four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal in a title race which has taken several twists and turns in recent months, with City gradually finding their rhythm and closing in on Mikel Arteta’s formidable Gunners.
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City are fighting for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons as they look to keep up with Arsenal, who send a statement to the rest of the division by putting third-placed Aston Villa to the sword this week.
The Blues are short of key players, but after a major overhaul of the first-team ranks this summer, Guardiola has a group of young and hungry players who have turned a corner since September – having made an early start to the 2025-26 Premier League campaign.
Guardiola and his colleagues played an eight-match run in all competitions in December to finish 2025, but were held to a draw by Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Thursday evening.
City wasted a series of chances to open up a resolute Sunderland backline, but the Blues left their shooting boots in Manchester as the Black Cats claimed a valiant point against the title contenders, leaving the Blues frustrated and ending their winning streak.
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Speaking candidly about the result with Sky Sports, Manchester City skipper Bernardo Silva reflected on a disappointing evening in the North East. “Two different halves; I would say in the first half we didn’t play very well, we didn’t control the counterattacks as well as we should,” said the Portugal international.
“We attacked a little too quickly, we didn’t move them and then find the spaces. And then a second half where we had a lot of chances, that’s my perception, what I felt! Today was one of those days where we couldn’t finish them. And that’s good, that’s a point. Obviously we’re not happy because we wanted better, but still a long season.”
Sunderland weren’t content to let Manchester City dictate proceedings as they posed a big threat on the break, coming close to causing an upset on several occasions during the match.
“They (Sunderland) are a good team! It’s no coincidence that they are unbeaten at home this season. It’s a credit to them! But we are fighting for the title, trying to stay as close to the top as possible, so we have to win these kinds of games. Unfortunately, today we didn’t do that. We missed a lot of chances, but let’s move on to the next one,” added the 31-year-old.
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“You can’t be perfect every time, every half, every minute, we know that. The team shows a lot of resilience in those moments in those moments when we’re not playing very well, we’re always very consistent, always very stable. And today I thought, once again, we were. Unfortunately, we missed the last step to score but that’s the game.”
Silva will be desperate to get Manchester City back to winning ways this weekend, when the Blues host an out-of-form Chelsea side – who have just parted ways with former City assistant manager Enzo Maresca as manager – at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday evening.