Happy new year to Kari Tulinius: “Good point about this not being the Imperial City of yesteryear. Back then, struggling against them seemed like an impossible idea for most English sides, like a single tribe facing up to the Roman legions. However, thanks to Haaland they can always strike out of nowhere, like bandits in the night. There’s more than one way to win titles, and Pep is trying a different method.”

45+5 min: Foden is caught by Adingra, who will be booked for the foul from behind. That’s the last of the half.

45+3 min: Brobbey runs the channels, shaking off defenders, laying up Xhaka to lay up Hume who heads over the bar. Total football from Sunderland. As smooth as a pint of Vaux.

45+1 min: Savinho gets involved again, right to the byline again, and his cross comes across towards Cherki who cannot get there. There were five minutes added on, dur to those Ake and Nico delays.

45 min: Bernardo Silva breaks up an attack, and drives forward, only for a foul to be given. City, to their credit, do not take a long time over the free-kick. It’s aimed towards Savinho, but Haaland gets there first.

43 min: Jeers as a Nunes ball flies out of play. The City radar is malfunctioning, and the star men in Foden and Haaland have been quietened amid the din.

41 min: Brobbey and Adingra link well, and the winger, who can be frustrating, loses the ball. This was a common complaint in his Brighton days, high talent though not enough product.

40 min: Foden’s corner is hit too high and Ake’s attempt to make something of it see the ball bounce off his knees.

38 min: After Le Fee loses it again, Cherki sets off on a run, and then gets the ball back in the City box, eventually forcing a corner. It’s end to end at the moment.

37 min: Haaland has his big moment, the ball coming loose as Foden plays it across, and Roefs does well. Sunderland immediately go on the counter, and City struggle to clear their lines.

36 min: Can Sunderland sustain these energy levels?

35 min: Mayenda gets a header on the corner after Donnarumma makes something of a flap.

34 min: Erling Haaland has been quiet, for which much of the credit must go to Mukiele. Sunderland meanwhile have a corner.

33 min: City’s discomfort is obvious. They don’t quite put teams to the sword as they did in their imperial period. Arsenal fans will look on expectant.

31 min: Nico is back on, and as he arrives, Savinho makes it to the byline again. His ball in might have found Haaland but he gets in a tangle and loses his footing. No foul, either.

29 min: Julian Yeomans has an idea out of leftfield: “Catching the entire football media flat-footed ... currently available Joey Barton could contribute his characteristic “bon vivant” vitality to this Chelsea side. He would definitely kick them into a new dimension.”

Thanks, Julian. Meanwhile, to nobody’s surprise, Nico is OK. Pep’s talk was impassioned.

28 min: Looks like Rodri will be back soon. Nico Gonzalez is on the deck, having taken a knock from Brobbey. It gives time for a, er, Pep talk, and the crowd are booing, smelling a rat.

26 min: Le Fee, who has been quiet, goes close to putting Adringra in the clear when Brobbey – again – wins the loose ball. He’s been useful, the big Dutchman.

25 min: City look a little rattled here and try to take the steam out of the occasion by passing the ball around.

23 min: Huge roars as high pressing forces a throw, which means Mukiele will launch his long throw. It comes to Adingra who bobs and weaves, and goes down under a tackle by Nunes, with Nico Gonzalez on the scene, too.

22 min: More City hesitancy, more Sunderland Roker roars. Adingra’s break causes havoc and Hume has a shot, though his backlift is to heavy. Sunderland are in this, and their fans know it.

20 min: Sunderland only got a corner from their best moment of the game, and Xhaka’s cross isn’t the best. Dias really did come off second best to Brobbey there.

19 min: Oh wow! Bryan Brobbey blasts through Dias, and it takes Donnarumma, at his smothering best, to stop Mr Brobbey scoring.

18 min: Mayenda again finds space but then, as before, loses possession at the moment of truth.

17 min: Roefs almost falls victim to the MBM commentators’ curse and it takes his defenders to clear the danger when he hesitates at a Cherki cross.

15 min: Brobbey gets hustled out by Dias but Sunderland go again, and Hume finds space to attack the City box. It takes Dias’s experience to cut out the cross.

14 min: Robin Roefs, one of this season’s better keepers, takes his time over a goal kick and it soon comes back to him to, in open play, smash the ball to Adringra. Such a good buy from NEC Nijmegen.

12 min: What can Cherki, the rabona king, find? Ake steps forward as each and every Sunderland player sits back and gets into defensive shape. Savinho gets a cross in but it will not drop in time for Haaland.

10 min: Sunderland back in numbers as City take up their usual passing rhythm. They shall not pass. Well, hopefully.

8 min: Sunderland go on the attack, and Mayenda’s pass inside is intercepted by Ake. It needed to be far better, as did Adingra’s control when a Xhaka pass comes to him.

5 min: Savinho sets off on sortie into the Sunderland defence to force a corner. Ake rejoins the throng for now.

4 min: Gvardiol, who was rested, is due to come on but Ake is trying his best to soldier on. He asks if he can run it off.

3 min: Nathan Ake smashes the ball out, and that’s it for him. Just a second start of the season for him. and he’s down hurt. It looks like his knee has gone in over-extending. That’s a sad sight.

Regis Le Bris also spoke to Sky: “A few weeks ago we struggled because they were really good and efficient through their counter pressing. I hope we learnt the lesson but it will be another experience at home with another energy so we’ll see.”

Pep Guardiola has been speaking to Sky: “Tough place and it means that anyone could win here. Hopefully we can perform. Josko [Gvardiol] had a few niggles, an incredible run of playing every three days and Savinho has speed and is fresh.

“The set pieces, long balls, second balls, [Granit] Xhaka is involved in the process. It is not just long balls and second balls but they have a good side.”

Rodri, after that fanfare, is on the bench with Reigan Heskey, 17, son of the Liverpool legend. Reigan’s brother, Jayden, is also on the City books.

Nathan Ake and Savinho come the City team, replacing Josko Gvardiol and Tijani Reijnders, who both drop to the bench. Doku’s on the bench, though with Antoine Semenyo set to arrive, a big game for Savinho who has been linked with a move.

Eliezer Mayenda for Chris Rigg is the sole Sunderland change, with Dan Ballard ruled out with injury.

Jeff Sax gets in touch: “Happy new year. I am shocked to hear that City are considering Maresca!! It will be like amorim at MU.”

So far today, just one sacking. Maresca does have a good record in the Championship…

Pep Guardiola was so so happy with 2025, a year without a trophy but some really positive signs as it closed out.

Because it’s how you overcome the problems. In this perspective, now every time when I reflect on what happened last season, I’m more proud than ever about what we have done as a club, how we handled the bad, bad situations.

The glitch in the space-time continuum that is this season’s fixture list means they met just weeks ago. That was the day of the rabona.

Here’s the table, as it stands. Sunderland have had such a good season. City are in the hunt but their points total is significantly lower than in their imperial periods.