Manchester City 5 Sunderland 0: Sunderland swept aside as Manchester City plunder five goals
Adam Johnson, making his first start since injuring his ankle in January, opened the scoring in the ninth minute and captain Carlos Tevez doubled the Blues’ advantage on the quarter-hour mark from the penalty spot.
Second-half strikes from David Silva, Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure completed the rout as City leapfrogged Chelsea in the table and moved further clear of fifth-placed Tottenham in the race for Champions League football.
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Hide AdRoberto Mancini’s side are now six points ahead of Spurs, who do have a game in hand.
Sunderland, meanwhile, have gone seven league games without a victory and need rapid improvement if they are to avoid being dragged into the relegation dogfight.
With Tevez fit again having missed City’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago with a groin problem, Mancini opted to pair the Argentina forward with Mario Balotelli and dropped Edin Dzeko to the bench.
Additionally boosted by the return of former Middlesbrough winger Johnson, it was a positive-looking team selection which quickly paid dividends, the hosts making a lively start to the game before taking the lead nine minutes in.
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Hide AdPlaying a one-two with Toure down the right, Johnson received the return pass in the box, controlled the ball and then lashed it past Black Cats goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Six minutes later Tevez latched on to a lofted ball from Silva and burst into the area, where he was brought down by Phil Bardsley.
Referee Howard Webb booked Bardsley and awarded a penalty which Tevez took himself.
Mignolet appeared to get a hand to the effort but it squeezed in off the upright.
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Hide AdSunderland were showing little sign of getting themselves back into the match but had a rare shot at goal when Asamoah Gyan sent in an effort from outside the box which dropped narrowly wide.
Black Cats boss Steve Bruce replaced Bardsley with Ahmed Elmohamady at half-time but City were soon threatening again.
City’s third goal arrived when Tevez ran onto a long ball from Nigel de Jong and squared for Balotelli, whose shot ricocheted off Michael Turner, allowing Silva to tuck home from close range.
Johnson was then taken off for Vieira, which swiftly looked like a stroke of genius. A minute after his introduction, the Frenchman was on the scoresheet, getting on the end of Aleksandar Kolarov’s cross which deflected off Joleon Lescott.
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Hide AdMignolet clawed Vieira’s effort away but the goal was given and replays showed the ball had indeed crossed the line.
After Balotelli had stung Mignolet’s palms, it came as little surprise when City scored their fifth.
Lee Cattermole lost his bearings and gave the ball straight to Toure, who gleefully dispatched it over Mignolet and in.
City boss Mancini believes his team’s league form is benefiting from fewer fixtures.
He explained: “Now all the players have recovered and we play Saturday-Saturday we don’t have a problem. We hope we continue to play very well.”