Premier League: Sunderland hold Manchester United to goalless draw
What's the story
Manchester United's quest for a top-three finish in the Premier League hit a roadblock as they were held to a goalless draw by Sunderland in Matchweek 36. The match, played at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, saw both teams fail to find the back of the net. Despite their underwhelming performance, United could have snatched victory in added time when Matheus Cunha was denied by Robin Roefs. Here's more.
Summary
Summary of the contest
Sunderland's Noah Sadiki and Brian Bobbey both came close to scoring but were denied by some brilliant goalkeeping from Senne Lammens. The home team dominated the match throughout as United were lucky to hold on for a draw. Notably, United were without defensive midfielders Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. Mason Mount partnered Kobbie Mainoo in midfield and it left a lot of gaps. Joshua Zirkzee also had a poor game upfront after filling in for the injured Benjamin Sesko.
Player quotes
Xhaka lauds Sunderland's performance
Despite the draw, Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka praised his team's performance against a strong opponent. "Nearly a perfect game. Created so many chances against a really good team. If you have so many chances you need to score one, for sure. We had good momentum. This is part of the process, to keep believing in ourselves," he told Sky Sports. He emphasized the importance of humility and improvement as they look to finish their season on a high note. Despite not thinking about Europe, Xhaka stressed the need to get points and end the season positively.
Information
A look at the points table
From 36 games, United own 65 points. This was their 11th draw of the season and their first 0-0 affair. The Red Devils are six points clear of 4th-placed Liverpool. Meanwhile, Sunderland are placed 12th with 48 points. This was their 12th draw.
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Here are the match stats
Sunderland had 4 shots on target from 15 attempts. Michael Carrick's side had just one shot on target from 11 attempts. Sunderland's xG was 1.17 compared to United's 0.66. The Black Cats hit the woodwork once and created 1 big chance. They also had 27 touches in United's box.
Do you know?
27th goalless draw this season
Sunderland 0-0 Man United was the 27th goalless draws in the Premier League this season. As per Opta, this is as many as there were in 2023-24 (11) and 2024-25 (16) combined.