MAN CITY 0, STOKE CITY 0
Enormous credit to Stoke City who became the first team to keep a clean sheet at Manchester City in a Premier League fixture in the current campaign.
And in achieving this notable feat, the Potters dealt a further blow to City’s faint hopes of catching runaway leaders Chelsea.
City, third on goal difference behind Tottenham, could have cut the deficit to eight points, but after this slip the gap is 10 points with only 11 games remaining.
It was a lethargic City whose performance was flat compared to the electrifying last home game against AS Monaco in the Champions League, a case of after the Lord Mayor’s Show.
City could not have any complaints as Stoke restricted them to only one shot on target and a handful of efforts that flew wide of the target, a far cry to recent majestic performances.
Manager Pep Guardiola admitted his side toiled against a Stoke side that “defended aggressively and deep”.
He said: “We didn’t create enough chances to score and the Stoke City keeper did not have many shots to save.
“It is football and sometimes it happens. I have no regrets.”
Guardiola added that once David Silva came on as a second-half substitute he altered the game.
“We had more control and created more chances when he came on,” he explained.
Guardiola denied his team selection reflected they had given up on the title and were giving priority to the cup competitions.
He said: “The priority is the next game. When you rotate and win it is brilliant.
“We are in a lot of competitions and in two-and-a-half days have another game at Middlesbrough in the FA Cup and then three or four days after that go to Monaco and then it is Liverpool.
“We need to use all our players. If we were playing only one game a week, we could play the same 11 players.”
Stoke manager Mark Hughes was delighted with his side’s performance and the way they kept City at bay on his return to the Etihad where he was once boss.
He said: “It was a very satisfactory performance and we restricted City to few opportunities.
“It is not about systems and formations, but about the team and they were committed to execute the game plan.
“We can give them a structure, but they have to be committed to do it – and they did it to a man.”
City made three changes from the side that won at Sunderland on Sunday.
There were recalls for Kevin De Bruyne, Jesus Navas and Nicolas Otamendi who replaced Raheem Sterling, Silva and John Stones.
The Potters, who have a miserable record against top-six teams, came close to snatching a sixth-minute lead.
Mame Biram Diouf got on the end of an Erik Pieters cross from the left, but his shot from seven yards was well saved by Willy Caballero diving full length low to his right.
There was another moment of anxiety for City’s defence when Ramadan Sobhi cut in from the left and fired in a dangerous cross, but Bacary Sagna cleared the danger.
It took City until the 25th minute before they forced a save from visiting keeper Lee Grant.
Ryan Shawcross was booked for a trip on Sergio Aguero and, from the resulting free kick, Aleksandar Kolarov forced a fine flying save from Grant.
It was proving a frustrating opening half for City as they made few inroads against a well-organised Stoke side that was always a threat on the break.
There was more of the same at the start of the second period as City failed to find the fluency that had seen them record five straight Premier League victories.
Aguero had a speculative shot from distance, but it as headed over by Pieters.
City were clearly in need of new ideas as Silva was summoned from the bench in the 57th minute as he replaced Navas.
And when Sane ballooned a cross from De Bruyne over the bar, that summed up City’s fortunes in the opening hour.
As the game progressed, the City fans became increasingly on edge as groans could be heard from the stands before they came alive in an attempt to spur their side to make that elusive breakthrough.
City came agonisingly close to snatching the lead in the 72nd minute when Silva played a return pass with Fernandinho and, with space opening up in front of him, he rolled his shot inches wide of the upright.
Guardiola made a second switch in the 76th minute in pursuit of that elusive goal as Kelechi Iheanacho replaced Yaya Toure.
City began to crank up the pressure as Silva’s shot took a deflection as it flashed just wide and from the resulting corner Otamendi’s header looped on to the roof of the net.
But City only briefly threatened in the closing stages when Aguero weaved his way clear before firing into the side netting and Iheanacho shot narrowly wide.