Manchester City vs. Sunderland: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Manchester City's high-flying attack dismantled Sunderland's poor defense on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium.
The Citizens moved within three points of Leicester City with a 4-1 victory that saw four different players hit the back of the net.
Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony scored in the first half for the hosts, while Kevin De Bruyne added a fourth in the second half. Fabio Borini netted a consolation goal in the 59th minute for the Black Cats.
The win provided Manuel Pellegrini's side with a nice momentum boost heading into Tuesday's match with Leicester City, but it was bittersweet as well as substitute Vincent Kompany left after nine minutes with an injury.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from Manchester City's home win over Sunderland.
Winner: Kevin De Bruyne
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Kevin De Bruyne was the star of the Manchester City attack on Saturday as he applied constant pressure to the Sunderland defense and linked up well with the other players in the front four of the City attack.
The relentless effort put in by the Belgian was on full display in the 12th minute in the buildup to City's first goal. De Bruyne chased down an errant cross from Aleksandar Kolarov, composed himself on the ball and perfectly picked out Raheem Sterling with a pass from the right wing.
De Bruyne earned his second assist in 10 minutes on the third strike by the Citizens as his free-kick from the right wing found the head of Wilfried Bony.
The 24-year-old finally put his name on the scoresheet in the 54th minute, when he benefited from a bad sliding clearance and beat Vito Mannone from close range.
With De Bruyne and the rest of the City attack flying high after Saturday's match, Manuel Pellegrini's men will enter Tuesday's clash with Leicester City with plenty of confidence.
Loser: Patrick van Aanholt
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The defensive effort displayed by Patrick van Aanholt in the buildup to the first Manchester City goal was a perfect representation of Sunderland's performance on Saturday.
While De Bruyne scurried toward the ball on the right wing, the Sunderland left-back jogged back over to the flank. Due to the space Van Aanholt left between the pair, De Bruyne had all the time in the world to cross in toward Sterling.
Van Aanholt was caught out on a few other occasions throughout the 90 minutes, but his lack of effort in the 12th minute set the tone for Sunderland's day.
The good news, if there is any right now, for the Black Cats is they have two extra days to rest and fix their issues before they face Liverpool on Wednesday at the Stadium of Light.
Winner: David Silva
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David Silva may not have found the back of the net, but his impact on the City attack was as big as the scorers.
The 29-year-old Spaniard was in the middle of almost every City surge forward as he combined well with De Bruyne, Sterling and Bony in and around the penalty area.
Silva ended the match with the highest number of touches by any City player, and he dished out three key passes, per WhoScored. The Spanish midfielder also picked up an assist on Yaya Toure's 17th-minute goal.
The assist was the first for Silva since he recorded two in the 6-1 rout of Newcastle United on October 3.
Loser: Vincent Kompany
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The atmosphere inside the Etihad Stadium went from celebratory to sour in an instant once Vincent Kompany began to struggle after coming on in the 62nd minute.
Kompany was entered into the contest 17 minutes into the second half in order to test out his body after a long injury layoff.
Nine minutes after coming on for Nicolas Otamendi, Kompany left the pitch in disgust as he reaggrevated his calf injury, per the Premier League television broadcast.
Instead of heading into the busy holiday schedule with a healthy Kompany, City are now in danger of playing another long stretch of matches without their captain and defensive rock.
Winner/Loser: Wilfried Bony
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Yes, Wilfried Bony left Saturday's match with a goal to his name. But, in all honesty, the forward should've left with at least a hat-trick.
Bony struck for his fourth league goal of the season in the 22nd minute as he got in front of a defender and nodded home De Bruyne's free-kick. However, Bony could not find the same luck in front of the net in the second half as he missed a penalty and a shot from close range.
In the 69th minute, Bony casually approached his penalty and skied it over the right half of the net. Eleven minutes later, the 27-year-old Ivorian failed to capitalize on a rebound created by a De Bruyne shot.
With Sergio Aguero still working his way back to full fitness, City are in need of forward who consistently finishes his chances. If Bony misses a pair of attempts in a close game like he did on Saturday, he could cost City valuable points in the title race.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
