Celebrating the Three Premier League Giants' Full Point Losses

SUNDERLAND, FRIDAY – Three giants of the English Premier League, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur, did not use the start of the new year as a momentum to improve their performance. On the contrary, their progress was hindered as they played to a goalless draw. The phenomenon of draws colored the 19th week of the English Premier League.

The turn of the year will feel more complete and should be celebrated with victory. However, what happened to Liverpool, City, and Spurs is quite the opposite. These three major teams welcomed the new year by losing full points. They all failed to score goals. Liverpool was held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds United on Friday (2/1/2025) in the early hours. Similarly, City played to a draw with Sunderland. Spurs also achieved the same result when visiting Brentford's home ground.

"Two different halves. I would say in the first half we did not play well, we did not control the counterattacks as we should have. We attacked too quickly. We did not move the ball to find the open spaces," said City captain Bernardo Silva after the match at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland.

Bernardo had scored early in the first half from a corner kick. However, the goal was disallowed by referee Jarred Gillett because Bernardo was deemed to have been offside when receiving Erling Haaland's header. Despite dominating possession, City struggled to score due to Sunderland's solid defensive structure.

I am very proud and pleased with the way we played in this difficult stadium against a tough opponent. We did everything to win, but in the end, we could not achieve it.

On the other hand, the issue of final resolution hampers City. They released four accurate shots with a total expected goals (xG) value of 2.24. However, none were successfully converted into goals. Despite the quality of City's finishing opportunities, Sunderland's goalkeeper, Robin Roefs, performed brilliantly with four crucial saves, one of which denied a close-range shot from Haaland.

"I am very proud and pleased with the way we played in this difficult stadium against a tough opponent. We did everything to win, but in the end, we could not do it. No (frustration). I am mature enough not to be frustrated with the results of a football match," said City Manager Pep Guardiola.

When asked about his mood after the draw, Pep, half-jokingly, admitted to being happy. However, his happiness was not about the draw, but rather related to the New Year. "Yes, I am happy. Happy... New Year," he said.

It is understandable that Pep did not welcome the turn of the year with joy. This draw leaves City four points behind the current league leader, Arsenal. Previously, the two teams were only two points apart. City needs to continue to pressure Arsenal by returning to the winning path when facing Chelsea in the next match.

In addition to City, Liverpool also squandered the opportunity to close in on Aston Villa in third place. The results obtained by these two major teams reflect the phenomenon of draws in the 19th week of the English League. All four matches in the 19th week at the beginning of 2026 ended in draws, including the match between Spurs and Brentford, as well as Crystal Palace against Fulham.

Out of 10 matches in week 19, seven ended in a draw. Only Newcastle United, Everton, and Arsenal managed to secure victories in week 19. While other teams struggled to maintain consistency by celebrating the loss of full points, Arsenal continued to surge in the title race.

"It is okay that we only received one point. Of course, we are not happy because we want a better result than this. But the season is still long. We are fighting for the championship title. We are trying to stay as close as possible to the top of the standings," said Bernardo.

City is indeed not satisfied with the draw, but they are quite pleased with the way the team played. This is in contrast to Liverpool, which also achieved a draw but played very boringly against Leeds.

Throughout the match, Arne Slot's team failed to perform impressively despite recording numerous shots. Overall, "The Reds" appeared very monotonous and lacked creativity in breaking through Leeds, who defended diligently in a 5-4-1 formation.

"They (Liverpool) controlled the game. However, in the final third of the field, they were lacking in sharpness. They need to return to their initial planning and examine what is causing this weakness. But for me, what is severely lacking is creativity," said former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge. (REUTERS)