Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland: Post-match review, Stats, Key moments

Dive into Coral’s post-match review of Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday, 06 December 2025, with stats, key moments and our take on the match.

Manchester City cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Sunderland at home. The game started evenly, but City broke the deadlock when Rúben Dias scored in the 31st minute, followed quickly by Josko Gvardiol’s header four minutes later to make it 2-0 before half-time. Sunderland tried to push back after the break, but Phil Foden sealed the deal with a fine finish in the 65th minute, capping off a dominant display.

Coming into this one, Manchester City were in strong form with three wins in their last four league games, including a solid 3-0 victory over Liverpool, which clearly gave them the edge here. Sunderland, on the other hand, had been patchy with a win, a draw and a loss in recent outings, and they couldn’t find their rhythm against a clinical City side. This result keeps City firing on all cylinders, while Sunderland will be looking to bounce back quickly.

Manchester City bossed the ball with far more possession, which let them control the tempo and create plenty of openings, while Sunderland had to rely on counter-attacks but couldn’t make the most of their chances. The home side edged corners and were way ahead on successful dribbles, showing how they broke through Sunderland’s defence time and again, though the visitors did pick up a late red card that summed up their tough day.

Both teams used all five substitutions, with City freshening things up around the 69th minute when Omar Marmoush replaced Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders came on for Phil Foden, followed by Nathan Aké for Josko Gvardiol a minute later, and then Savinho and Rico Lewis swapping in for Rayan Cherki and Bernardo Silva at 82 minutes. Sunderland made early changes at 56 minutes with Brian Brobbey for Wilson Isidor and Chemsdine Talbi for Bertrand Traoré, then Simon Adingra for Noah Sadiki and Romaine Mundle for Granit Xhaka at 72 minutes, before Luke O’Nien replaced Trai Hume late on at 88 minutes. City racked up three assists to Sunderland’s none, underlining their sharper attacking play, and the cards tell a story too – just one yellow for City compared to Sunderland’s red in stoppage time.

The match turned decisively in the first half when Rúben Dias opened the scoring in the 31st minute with a well-taken goal assisted by Rayan Cherki, and Josko Gvardiol doubled the lead just four minutes later thanks to Phil Foden’s setup. Foden then got on the scoresheet himself in the 65th minute, again with Cherki’s assist, which pretty much killed off any Sunderland comeback hopes. Josko Gvardiol picked up a yellow card shortly after his goal in the 37th minute, but it didn’t disrupt City’s flow.

Sunderland’s day went from bad to worse in added time when Luke O’Nien, who had just come on as a substitute for Trai Hume at 88 minutes, was sent off with a red card following a VAR review at 90+5 minutes. Earlier subs like Brian Brobbey replacing Wilson Isidor and Chemsdine Talbi for Bertrand Traoré at 56 minutes tried to inject energy, but it wasn’t enough to change the tide against a solid City defence.

Manchester City lined up in a 4-3-2-1 shape that gave them great balance, with Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol forming a rock-solid partnership at the back, while Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki pulled the strings in attack alongside Bernardo Silva. Erling Haaland led the line up front before making way later on, and the setup allowed them to dominate midfield and exploit spaces effectively.

Sunderland set up in a defensive 5-4-1 to try and contain City’s threats, with Granit Xhaka anchoring the midfield and Bertrand Traoré offering some width before their substitutions. Wilson Isidor was the lone man up top, supported by Noah Sadiki, but the shape struggled to hold firm against constant pressure, especially after Trai Hume was replaced late by Luke O’Nien.

Coral’s Man of the Match goes to Rúben Dias, who was immense at the back for Manchester City and chipped in with a crucial goal, though he didn’t rack up assists or big chances created. His one key pass helped keep things ticking, and overall, he was the standout performer in a game where City’s defence rarely looked troubled.

Recent Premier League matches:

• Win: 3-0 vs Sunderland (H)
• Win: 5-4 vs Fulham (A)
• Win: 3-2 vs Leeds United (H)
• Loss: 1-2 vs Newcastle United (A)
• Win: 3-0 vs Liverpool (H)

Recent Premier League matches:

• Loss: 0-3 vs Manchester City (A)
• Draw: 1-1 vs Liverpool (A)
• Win: 3-2 vs AFC Bournemouth (H)
• Loss: 0-1 vs Fulham (A)
• Draw: 2-2 vs Arsenal (H)

Manchester City have just beaten Sunderland 3-0, which keeps them flying high in second place on 31 points after a run of strong results including wins over Fulham and Leeds United, despite that slip against Newcastle United. They’ll be looking to carry this momentum into their next fixture against Real Madrid on 2025-12-10 at 20:00, where the opposition’s position and points are still to be confirmed, but a win could help City push even harder at the top of the table.

Sunderland have just lost 0-3 to Manchester City, leaving them in seventh spot on 23 points after a mixed bag of recent form with a win over AFC Bournemouth but draws and losses elsewhere like against Liverpool and Fulham. They’ll aim to regroup for their next match against Newcastle United on 2025-12-14 at 14:00, with the opponents sitting 10th on 22 points, and three points here could give Sunderland a boost in their push for higher spots.

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