'Who are ya?': Manchester City goalkeeper in heated exchange as title hopes slip further away
There were just two goals scored in the four Premier League games that opened the new year, causing the gap between the top four in the title race to expand further.
It was not the start to January that many teams had hoped for, especially Manchester City, who were unable to find an answer to narrow the margin to Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola's men had many chances to put a point beside their name on the scoreboard, but it was the tireless defence of Sunderland that they just could not crack on Friday morning.
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It was a vastly different result to Arsenal's earlier this week, with the Gunners recording a 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday to secure a four-point lead at the top of the table.
The frustrations that came with being unable to put the ball into the back of the net did not seem to rattle Guardiola too much, although the same could not be said for City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Tempers flare between Gianluigi Donnarumma (C) and Luke O'Nien (R). Getty
Seconds after the full time whistle was blown and players moved to shake hands with each other, Donnarumma yelled and stormed towards Brentford's Luke O'Nien.
Brentford players were nearby and moved quickly to push the 196cm giant away from their teammate, while City manager Guardiola rushed in to speak to the opposition.
Guardiola had a cheeky smirk on his face as he did so, with tensions seemingly settled down as he embraced and congratulated those in the Brentford team.
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The incident did not go unnoticed by fans in the stadium, though, with a chant of 'Who are ya?' echoing around the Stadium of Light as Donnarumma was pulled away.
It is unclear exactly what prompted the interaction or what was said, but the typical post-game interactions with the crowd continued after the incident.
Elsewhere, Thomas Frank's return to Gtech Community Stadium did not go as he hoped, with Tottenham Hotspur ending in a nil-all draw against Brentford.
Spurs managed to place three of their nine shots at goal on target, while Brentford nailed two of their nine shots in the direction of rival goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Brennan Johnson was not named in the squad to face Frank's former team, a move that all but confirmed he will be among the first in the league to move in the transfer window.
It has been reported that the Spurs gun, who scored the club's match-winning goal in the Europa League final in May, has agreed to a $70.5m deal to join Crystal Palace.
The transfer deal will not be completed until Johnson finishes his medical checks at Selhurst Park, with the transfer window not set to open until 12pm AEDT on Friday.
Brennan Johnson of Tottenham Hotspur applauds the fans. Getty
With the deal seemingly waiting for the transfer window to be officially opened, it is likely the Welsh international will be named in Crystal Palace's game day squad as soon as Monday, when they host 13th-placed Newcastle United.
As for Johnson's likely new team, Palace secured a 1-1 against Fulham at home.
Liverpool could not find their feet to soar past Leeds United, ending in a goalless draw in front of a home crowd.
The result saw Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to nine games, although it was the first time in 117 matches the Reds had recorded a 0-0 draw.
