The manager insisted he was "very pleased" with the performance of his players on Thursday (01.01.25) and was content with their goalless draw at the Stadium of Light, but was left baffled by his side's inability to convert their chances.

He said after the game: “I’ll take the point against this team at this stadium.

“It was a really good game.”

“Sunderland are really good, they are so strong, so physical. It’s a tough place to come. In the first half we struggled against their pressing. Then Rodri came on and broke their lines and the second half was excellent. I was very pleased with the performance but we could not convert our chances in the six-yard box. We just missed a finishing touch. It’s a mystery that we could not score.”

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris was pleased his side managed to retain their unbeaten home record this season.

He said: “It’s one more goodpoint against one of the best teams in Europe.

"We defended well and we were bold enough to press high. I think we showed many good things with the ball as well. We were able to manage the ball and to breathe and we created chances. Our standards are high.”

Following the loss of their eight-match winning run, Pep warned his players they need to get their "heads up" ahead of their game against Chelsea on Sunday (04.01.26).

He said: “The guys are a bit head down but we have to be heads up in three days when we have a difficult game against Chelsea."