Manchester City grabbed what proved to be three crucial points when Sunderland visited the Etihad on Saturday.
The Citizens cruised to a comfortable 4-1 victory against Sam Allardyce’s side, to move within three points of league leaders Leicester City and one point behind second placed Arsenal.
For the defeated Black Cats it was their fourth loss on the trot, who find themselves struggling in 19th position, four points off the bottom.
Manchester City
Joe Hart – 6.5: Didn’t have much to do throughout the game but stepped up when called upon. Would have preferred to have kept that much valuable clean sheet, although not at fault for Sunderland’s goal.
Bacary Sagna – 6: Did well to support the attack but struggled on a few occasions at the back.
Eliaquim Mangala – 7: After a couple of traumatising defensive performances, the Frenchman did fairly well in the back four.
Nicolas Otamendi – 6: Like Mangala, the Argentine too did well whenever called upon. Was replaced by Kompany shortly after the hour mark.
Aleksandar Kolarov – 6.5: Supported Sterling well on the left-hand flank and got forward whenever the chance arose.
Yaya Toure – 7.5: Scored for the second game running with a fantastic effort in the first half to put his side up 2-0. Was taken off for Fabian Delph around the hour mark.
Fernandinho – 7: The Brazilian continued his consistent performances this season. Was tidy with his passes in midfield.
Kevin De Bruyne – 8.5: Man of the Match performance from the Belgian. Set up two goals, while scoring City’s final. Was helped by a shabby Sunderland defence.
David Silva – 7.5: Was outstanding in the final third and always seemed to find a killer pass. Got an assist to his name after he set up Yaya Toure’s goal.
Raheem Sterling – 8: Was strange for one of the shortest men on the pitch to climb above the Sunderland defence to open the scoring. Take nothing away from the Englishman, as his performances throughout the game were top notch. Gave Billy Jones a torrid time.
Wilfried Bony – 7: Should have definitely finished the game with more than just one to his name, although he did well to score City’s third. Missed a penalty in the second half as well.
Substitutes
Vincent Kompany – N/A: His long awaited come-back was cut short with a presumed hamstring problem.
Fabian Delph – 6: Did well since coming on, making some good runs into the Sunderland box.
Martin Demichelis – 5: Came on for the injured Kompany but didn’t have a lot to do.
Sunderland
Vito Mannone – 6.5: Did well behind a terrible back-line, making some excellent saves in the process.
Billy Jones – 3: Struggled to cope with Sterling on the right-hand side and was completely to be blamed for City’s opener. Poor performance overall.
John O’shea– 5: Was not the worst Sunderland defender, although he could have done better to prevent Bony’s goal.
Sebastien Coates – 5: Gave away a penalty in the second half but also made some vital interceptions.
Patrick Van Aanholt– 3: Like Billy Jones, he too was poor, especially with his positioning throughout the game.
Jordi Gomez – 5: Has had better games but struggled against a dominant City midfield.
Yann M’Villa – 6: Was one of the better performers for Sunderland. Replaced by Lee Cattermole in the second-half.
Adam Johnson – 6: Did well on a few occasions and was bright on the counter until City took complete charge of the game.
Fabio Borini– 6.5: The Italian had to track back for most of the game and also got on the scoresheet to score Sunderland’s consolation.
Danny Graham – 4: Has failed to live up to his reputation during his time at Swansea. Missed a few chances throughout the game and was replaced by Watmore towards the end.
Stephen Fletcher – 5: Taken off around the hour mark after proving to be quite wasteful with his chances.
Substitutes
Lee Cattermole – 6: Was brought on for damage control and did a good job in the second half. Provided the ball for Borini’s goal.
Jermaine Lens – 5: Added pace to his side but failed to get involved in any clear-cut chances.
Duncan Watmore – N/A: Brought on late in the game to replace Graham but couldn’t do much to influence the game.
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