Sunderland vs. Manchester City: Winners and Losers from Premier League
Manchester City struggled to put away Sunderland on Tuesday, but they were able to leave the Stadium of Light with a 1-0 victory.
Sergio Aguero handed City the lead in the 16th minute, but the visitors were unable to add to their advantage because of the hold the Black Cats had on the possession battle.
Joe Hart came up with a few big stops for City to keep them three points behind Leicester City heading into the massive Premier League clash between the two sides on Saturday.
The victory also helped City stay ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, who both sit two points behind the second-place side after 24 matches.
Here's a look at our winners and losers from City's tight win over Sunderland.
Winner: Joe Hart
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Without Joe Hart's fine display in between the pipes for City, Manuel Pellegrini's men would have left the Stadium of Light with a draw or a loss.
The England international made three vital denials throughout the contest to preserve a crucial victory on a night where leaders Leicester City won at home against Liverpool.
Hart first sprung into action two minutes before the half-time whistle as he stopped Jermain Defoe from close range and then rushed over to the right post to keep out Billy Jones. In the 78th minute, Hart made his biggest stop of the second stanza as he dove to his left and stopped a shot from Jones.
The 28-year-old goalkeeper was put under a bit of duress in the latter stages of the match as substitute Wahbi Khazri tried to score from the left corner flag.
Thanks to the contributions from Hart and the rest of the back line, City recorded their fourth clean sheet without Vincent Kompany in the lineup.
Loser: Jermain Defoe
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Jermain Defoe left the pitch frustrated on Tuesday as he failed to make an impact in the final third for the struggling Black Cats.
Defoe was a focal point in the match for some time, but that was due to his altercations with each of the Manchester City center-backs after he delivered an elbow to each in aerial duel in each half.
When the final whistle blew, Defoe left the pitch with just one shot on target to his name due to the lack of quality service provided by his teammates.
Although Sunderland put in a respectable performance at home on Tuesday, they failed to produce in the final third on a consistent basis. If they fail to correct that trend, Sunderland will be bound for the championship.
Winner: Sergio Aguero
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Sergio Aguero's goal in the 16th minute turned out to be difference between City and Sunderland on Tuesday.
The Argentinian forward saw the ball bounce to his feet off a deflection before he slotted home the lone tally of the match from close range.
Aguero didn't cause too many problems in front of goal after the strike, but he did combine well with the others in the Man City attack when they surged forward in search of a second goal.
The first-half strike from the Argentinian may turn out to be a key role in the title race if City down Leicester and move to the top of the table on Saturday.
Loser: Kelechi Iheanacho
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Three days after grabbing all the headlines with a hat-trick in the FA Cup against Aston Villa, Kelechi Iheanacho lasted only 45 minutes against Sunderland.
The 19-year-old Nigerian made just 19 touches in his time on the pitch, per WhoScored.com, and he was unable to correct his wrongs from the first half as Fernando replaced him at the start of the second half.
While there is no doubt Iheanacho has plenty of talent based off his exploits in the FA Cup, he may need more time to develop into a complete first-team player.
If Aguero remains healthy and provides City with goals on a regular basis, Pellegrini should be able to ease Iheanacho into the rigors of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
Winner: Jan Kirchhoff
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Jan Kirchhoff provided a calming influence in front of the back four for Sunderland as they showed little fear at home against the second-place side in the league.
Kirchhoff broke up a few crucial City surges forward, and he was able to institute a nice pace moving forward for the Black Cats.
The 25-year-old was one of a few January additions who shined on the field for Sam Allardyce's squad on Tuesday. Lamine Kone, Dame N'Doye and Khazri all impressed as well.
If Sunderland benefit from the momentum gained from Tuesday's positive performance, they will have a real chance of surviving the drop.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
