23 September 2015
Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City rediscovered their winning touch on Tuesday night following consecutive home defeats to Juventus and West Ham last week, with a comprehensive 4-1 reverse over Premier League bottom club Sunderland in the League Cup third round.
In a repeat of the competition’s 2012/13 final, City came out on top once more as four goals in the space of 27 first-half minutes blew their hosts away in a clinical attacking performance from the Premier League leaders.
The Old Lady’s Champions League Group D rivals weathered a bright start from the home side at the Stadium of Light, before Sergio Aguero’s penalty and Kevin De Bruyne’s crisp left-footed finish from a swift counter-attack fifteen minutes later put the Citizens in control of the tie.
The Blues extended their commanding lead to four with ten minutes of the half remaining through goalkeeper Vito Mannone’s unfortunate own-goal, the ball striking his back and rolling into the net as Raheem Sterling’s effort came back off the post, and the winger’s tidy finish from De Bruyne’s precise pass.
Dick Advocaat’s Sunderland did however give their fans something to cheer as Ola Toivonen converted DeAndre Yedlin’s right-wing cross just before the end.
Elsewhere in Europe, the Bianconeri’s two other Champions League opponents are in league action tonight as Sevilla travel to the Canary Islands to face Las Palmas and managerless Borussia Monchengladbach host Augsburg.
