Manchester City failed to close the gap between themselves and Arsenal after playing out a 0-0 draw with Sunderland on Thursday night.
The Gunners had opened a five-point lead at the top with a smashing 4-1 victory over Aston Villa earlier in the week.
City arrived at the Stadium of Light on the back of a nine-game winning run.
But that has now come to an end on New Year’s day, as they failed to score a single goal against the newly-promoted side.
The draw takes Pep Guardiola’s men up to 41 points, four less than Arsenal.
City’s next league fixture is at home against managerless Chelsea, while the Gunners travel to Bournemouth.