England’s top-flight football league ushered in 2026 with a string of scoreless stalemates, as defending champions Liverpool and title challengers Manchester City both dropped points in draws that tightened the race at the summit.
Manchester City, seeking to close the gap on leaders Arsenal, were held to a goalless draw by promoted Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, ending their eight-match winning run across all competitions and leaving them four points adrift in second place with 41 points.
Liverpool, languishing in fourth and now 12 points behind Arsenal’s 45, could only manage a 0-0 home result against Leeds United, while Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur also shared a barren tie, and Fulham salvaged a late 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace.
City boss Pep Guardiola, reflecting on the physical challenge posed by Sunderland, said: “They are so physical. They’re so strong, so it’s not a surprise at that. We take the point. Really pleased with the performances, especially in the second half. There’s still a long way (to go).”
The visitors dominated possession and created chances, with Josko Gvardiol’s header striking the post and goalkeeper Robin Roefs denying efforts from Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, but Sunderland’s resilient defense held firm in their unbeaten home start to the season.
At Anfield, Liverpool manager Arne Slot lamented the inability to break down Leeds’ low block: “You would like to start off (2026) with a win. But it was difficult. I don’t think we were able to play many times through their low block. Sometimes we didn’t have enough bodies in front of the goal and in other moments where we did create or we were close to a goal, we were a bit unfortunate.”
Leeds counterpart Daniel Farke praised his side’s grit: “It doesn’t come along that often that you get a clean sheet and a point at Anfield. We had to defend and suffer but we are newly promoted and came to the defending champions.”
The Yorkshire club, sitting 16th with 21 points, seven above the drop zone, frustrated the hosts, who saw a Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal ruled out for offside and Hugo Ekitike miss a glaring header.
Brentford and Tottenham’s 0-0 marked the end of Spurs’ 137-game streak without a Premier League goalless draw, leaving them 12th on 26 points and Brentford ninth with 27.
In the day’s only goal-scoring affair, Jean-Philippe Mateta put Palace ahead, but Tom Cairney’s stoppage-time strike earned Fulham a point, with both teams on 27 points in 10th and 11th respectively.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner rued fatigue: “When the legs and the mind are not that fresh it’s a little bit difficult. It was a good point today.”
The midweek fixtures underscore Arsenal’s advantage after their 4-1 rout of Aston Villa the previous day, with upcoming clashes including the Gunners at Bournemouth and City hosting Chelsea set to shape the title pursuit further.
