On the surface, this was a perfect afternoon for Manuel Pellegrini; a comfortable victory over flimsy opponents was just what the Manchester City manager needed ahead of a demanding month.
The sight of his captain Vincent Kompany, though, walking off the pitch just eight minutes into his comeback, cast a shadow over Pellegrini’s day.
City have looked a far more solid unit when the Belgium centre-back has played; they have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League this season without him, and their vulnerability has been exposed too often.
Posession stats
After eight matches out with a calf injury, Kompany returned as a substitute with half-an-hour to go against Sunderland. The idea was to give him a run-out to regain match fitness ahead of Tuesday’s crucial trip to Leicester. Instead, he was soon on his way back to the touchline, looking to the sky in frustration.
Until then, it had been a straightforward day for Pellegrini. His side were three goals up inside 25 minutes; it was the perfect tonic after the poor performance in defeat at Arsenal five days earlier.
Kevin De Bruyne holds off John O'Shea to score the fourth goal
This was not the sort of afternoon to provide major answers as to whether City can haul their way to the top of the Premier League in May, as Sunderland offered limited resistance.
Pellegrini’s priority was to ensure victory without suffering any damage ahead of Tuesday’s far more testing visit to the King Power Stadium. Sadly, Kompany’s set-back appeared to have ruined the second half of the equation.
Man City attacking thirds
Pellegrini, at least, did not have to risk Sergio Aguero, feeling his way back to fitness following injury. In the absence of the first-choice striker, Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Bony operated as a front two, and both found their way on to the scoresheet.
Sterling, booked early on for diving, used his head to give City the lead, sneaking in unnoticed at the far post to convert Kevin De Bruyne’s cross, with the visiting defensive having switched off after the attack appeared to have broken down.
Raheem Sterling scores the first goal for Manchester City
Bony, who had made public his displeasure at being dropped to the bench to make way for Aguero at Arsenal, scored a fourth goal in six appearances as he rose unchallenged to head a De Bruyne free-kick beyond static Sunderland goalkeeper Vito Mannone.
Wilfried Bony scores the third goal for Manchester City
In between those two goals, Yaya Toure was allowed a staggering amount of time to set himself on the edge of the penalty area before guiding a 20-yard shot into the corner of the net. City were utterly in control.
Yaya Toure scores the second goal for Manchester City
The excellent De Bruyne added a deserved goal eight minutes into the second half, collecting a return after his attempted pass to Bony came back to him via the hapless Sebastian Coates, and rolling a shot past Mannone.
Not that City were flawless. They have not kept a league clean sheet all season without centre-back Kompany in the team, and their defensive vulnerability surfaced in the first half as an unmarked Danny Graham headed wide from Fabio Borini’s diagonal chip.
Sunderland attacking thirds
They lost concentration again in the second, allowing Borini two attempts to beat Joe Hart after substitute Lee Cattermole’s low ball in had found the Italian unattended.
City could have won by more, with Bony’s woeful penalty clearing the crossbar after Coates appeared to trip Silva just outside the penalty area. Pellegrini, though, will be more concerned about the fitness of his captain.
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