Sunderland's descent towards the Championship continued on Sunday when a spirited resistance petered out and Manchester City strolled to a clinical 2-0 victory to keep their title hopes alive.
Spurred by another big Stadium of Light crowd, David Moyes' bottom-placed side should've taken the lead on 20 minutes, when Jermain Defoe struck the post from long range and Fabio Borini headed wide of an open goal from the rebound.
But two decisive passes from David Silva went on to settle the game. The first, just four minutes before half-time, found the impressive Raheem Sterling on the right and his low cross was expertly turned in by Sergio Aguero's cool flick.