Sunderland ... 0 Manchester City ... 3: Sunderland's goalless streak entered its ninth hour last night as Manchester City heaped more misery on Howard Wilkinson at the Stadium of Light.
Marc-Vivien Foe, Sun Jihai and Shaun Goater grabbed the goals which consolidated the visitors' rise into mid-table on a freezing night and left the awful Black Cats facing a bleak Premiership future.
A night which began with Jody Craddock injuring his ankle in the pre-match warm-up got progressively worse for Wilkinson's men, who last scored six games ago.
And the sight of ailing hero Kevin Phillips showing obvious displeasure upon being substituted in the 65th minute only added to the home fans' despondency.
City soaked up early Sunderland pressure and went ahead one minute before half-time when Foe latched on to Jihai's long ball, squeezed the ball over onrushing keeper Jurgen Macho and flicked it home despite the close attention of Craddock's replacement Joachim Bjorklund.
And they sealed their win in the 62nd minute when the home defence failed to pick up Nicolas Anelka's charge into the box, leaving Macho to palm his shot half clear and leave City's Chinese international with the simplest of chances.
Goater added insult to injury in the dying seconds by sweeping home the third to round off another dismal night for the home team.
Phillips might have left the scene in anger but he had been as much to blame as anyone for his side's first half plight.
The Sunderland favourite has scored just once this season and he showed why in the eighth minute when he failed to knock home Kevin Kilbane's curling cross from eight yards.
Phillips spurned his second chance in the 23rd minute when Paul Thirlwell's left wing cross caused havoc in the box, but Phillips caught the ball under his foot and Richard Dunne hacked clear.
City came close in the 38th minute when Jihai's free-kick was nodded back against his own post by Kilbane and the rebound somehow eluded Goater.
Just before Goater wrapped things up in the 87th minute, City missed an excellent chance when Richard Dunne cut in from the left and found Anelka who somehow hit the bar from close range.
Understandably, Sunderland were booed off at full-time.
SUNDERLAND: Macho, McCartney, Wright, Babb, Gray (Stewart 66), Bjorklund, Kilbane, Thirlwell, Proctor, Phillips (Bellion 66), Flo (Kyle 67). Subs Not Used: Poom, Williams.
MANCHESTER CITY: Schmeichel, Dunne, Jihai, Distin, Howey, Tiatto, Horlock, Berkovic, Foe, Anelka, Goater. Subs Not Used: Nash, Benarbia, Huckerby, Wiekens, Jensen. Booked: Tiatto, Jihai. Goals: Foe 44, Jihai 62, Goater 87.
Referee: S Dunn (Avon).
