That's all from me, Jonathan Walsh. I do hope you've enjoyed the game, stay tuned to Sunderland and Manchester City's VAVEL pages for the fall-out from tonight's game. Goodnight!
They battled, they fought and they somehow come away empty handed. Sunderland fans can't be displeased with that performance, in what was an excellent performance. O'Shea, Jones and Defoe all had great chances but failed to take them. That all meant Sergio Aguero's goal was the killer blow.
FULL-TIME - Sunderland 0-1 Manchester City.
90+6' We're still playing, it's still not over. Can Sunderland score the latest of equalisers?
90+4' Off the line! Otamendi hacks it clear!
90+3' Sunderland have a corner..
90' Aguero booked as we head into five minutes of stoppage time.
89' So near, but yet so far! Van Aanholt's cross is cleared by Hart but only as far as M'Vila, who rifles over on the rebound.
86' Van Aanholt gives the crowd a roar to give the team some extra impetus. Two corners and both are cleared from under the bar, the third is blocked bravely by the City defence.
83' Final Sunderland change - N'Doye replaces Borini.
81' It hits the wall, rather underwhelming.
80' It's all happening now! Kolarov and Sterling are on for Toure and Navas. Otamendi is booked, giving Khazri the chance to mark his debut with a free-kick goal.
77' Jones! O'Shea! They just can't find the goal they need! O'Shea volleys wildly over, after Jones was denied by Hart. The goal just isn't coming for the Black Cats.
76' Here he is! Johnson on for Cattermole, with Sterling set to replace the injured Navas - City down to 10 men for the moment.
73' Adam Johnson is preparing to come on, most likely for Lee Cattermole.
70' Koné can't do much more for the teams, as he shoulder barges Yaya Toure to the floor. This has been a real dogged display from the hosts.
68' Sunderland fans hold their breath as Koné goes down on the edge of the area, but he hobbles back on to a chorus of cheers. The hosts have a new hero, by the looks of things.
65' Defoe is perhaps a lucky boy to still be on the pitch. The Sunderland strikes flings an elbow backwards and catches Otamendi in the face, no card given.
63' It might just be time for Sunderland to throw caution to the wind and bring on another striker. N'Doye is waiting in the wings..
60' Cattermole skies one over, as Sunderland continue to fight back into the game. The fans are whipped up into a frenzy!
56' More of the same from the visitors, but this time there is more of an end product. Some decent play around the box leads to sustained pressure, with Aguero having a shot blocked in a promising position.
53' City have taken the sting out of the game by keeping possession, fans starting to get frustrated.
50' After the madness to end the first half, this is more similar to the beginning of the game. Tough to call to is on top.
47' That change will see Toure move into a more attacking role for City, perhaps now Kirchhoff will be tested more defensively.
Second half! We're underway again at the Stadium of Light, with Khazri replacing Lens and Fernando on for Iheanacho.
City somehow escape with a lead going into the break but some missed chances, Joe Hart and the woodwork have thwarted the hosts. All to play for in the second half.
HT - Sunderland 0-1 Manchester City.
45' What a double save! That really was the culmination of that pressure! Lens produces some lovely build-up to find Defoe, who spins his man and forces a stellar stop from Hart. He gets back up again and clears Jones' ball off the line. Incredible!
42' A sustained period of Sunderland pressure comes to nothing, but the chances have returned. Kirchhoff can't get good contact when stretching for a cross, and Hart is forced to collect several balls into the box.
40' Sunderland's free-kicks, aside from Lens' delivery to Koné, have been far below the required standard. They'll find it hard to get back into the game if this continues.
35' A small break in play as Yaya Toure recieves treatment for a head injury, now Demichelis fouls Defoe. The game has descended into a battle of attrition.
33' That was a real chance! Koné heads the free-kick narrowly past the post from 8 yards out. He'll know he should have at least hit the target.
32' A final warning for Yaya Toure after a run of recent fouls. Sunderland have, so far, been wasteful from set-pieces.
27' Close! Aguero tries a curling effort from the edge of the area that ends up on the roof of the net. The City fans think it has gone in, which sparks jeers from the home support.
25' Any Sunderland promise in attack has subsided after the Citizens' goal, although they do look defensively stable. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the half pans out.
22' City and Aguero come back down the pitch and the strikes wide again. He is looking dangerous this evening.
18' Aguero had looked to have injured his hamstring, but the Argentine is back on the pitch. It was a scrap of O'Shea's studs that went down his calf.
16' A fine finish sees the Black Cats fall behind. A deflected cross from the right falls to the feet of Aguero, who touches it past John O'Shea and he rifles it home.
GOAL! Manchester City lead!
12' Kirchhoff has looked very, very composed at the centre of the Sunderland midfield. The tall German is turning and playing quick ball across the pitch, which is helping the hosts break forward.
9' First real shot of the game and it's for the visitors. Aguero arrows one just past Mannone's left-hand post from all of 25-yards. A similar strike to one which City scored a few years ago here.
7' He might be a defender first, second and third but Lamine Koné could be a winger fourth. He bulls past Clichy and Silva to whip in a cross, only for Otamendi to cut it out.
6' Van Aanholt unhappy that Defoe hasn't made a run near post to try and collect the ball but he wins a corner. It is punched clear by Hart, however.
5' Early action for Koné, who does well to defend a teasing cross.
3' Kirchhoff, who is in midfield, tries to fire a quick ball into Defoe but it's easily cut out on the half-way line.
2' An early City corner comes to nothing, it's certainly loud tonight!
1' Sunderland fans jeer as a stray Manchester City pass flies over the sidelines to start. City quickly get it back, however.
Kick-off! We're underway at the Stadium of Light!
19:43. The broadcasters seem to be placing Jan Kirchhoff in as a defensive midfielder. He has played there before in the Bundesliga.
19:42. The team's have made their way onto the pitch after a long wait in the tunnel, all the camera focus is on Pellegrini before the game.
19:40. The mascots are in the tunnel, chatting away to each other on the floor. We're just moments away!
19:30. Just 15 minutes to go and the Stadium of Light is filling up nicely ahead of kick-off. Will it be another magical evening like the one where Ji scored a dramatic late goal?
19:20. Will Pellegrini and Gaurdiola's announcement yesterday disrupt City's chances? That, along with the strenuous fixture list, could play into Sunderland hands.
19:10. Just over half an hour to go, if you have any predictions be sure to tweet them in to @SunderlandVAVEL!
18:58. Jan Kirchhoff is also part of the back five this evening, and he'll be hoping to avoid a repeat performance from the debacle at White Hart Lane.
18:56. The main news of note sees Lamine Koné start for the first time since his move from Lorient, Wahbi Khazri is on the bench.
18:54. A change in formation for Manchester City, too. They're playing 4-4-2 instead of the usual 4-2-3-1, with young Kelechi Iheanacho earning a starting berth following a cup hat-trick at Aston Villa.
18:52. An interesting choice for Allardyce to switch to the five-at-the-back formation that caused so much confusion against Tottenham, but perhaps the 10 days off have given him sufficient time to perfect it.
18:50. The City line-up looks like this: (4-4-2) Hart; Sagna, Demichelis, Otamendi, Clichy; Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva; Aguero, Iheanacho.
18:48. Here they are, starting with Sunderland: (5-2-3) Mannone; Jones, O’Shea, Kone, Kirchhoff, van Aanholt; Cattermole, M’Vila; Borini, Defoe, Lens.
18:43. Evening, everyone! We're just moments away from learning tonight's line-ups. We'll bring them to you as soon as we get them.
The big story heading into the fixture surrounds City manager, Manuel Pellegrini. It was announced on Monday that he would be replaced by Pep Guardiola on a three-year deal after the season finishes. That could very well mean that the Argentine will lose his job after winning several trophies in his final few months in charge.
The Black Cats will be hoping to avoid a repeat performance of the 4-1 drubbing they suffered at the Etihad on Boxing Day, when these two teams last met. The then visitors were 3-0 down within 25 minutes, but battled back well to restore some pride after a good second-half performance. For more on that game and what Sunderland need to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again, check out Eve Sayers’ piece.
And a look at the Manchester City eleven: (4-2-3-1) Hart; Sagna, Otamendi, Demichelis, Clichy; Fernandinho, Toure; Navas, Silva, Sterling; Aguero.
With all that taken into consideration, here’s how the two teams are likely to line-up ahead of the game. Starting with the Sunderland side: (4-2-3-1) Mannone; Jones, Kone, O’Shea, Van Aanholt; Cattermole, M’Vila; Johnson, Khazri, Lens; Defoe.
Allardyce has a nearly full fit squad to choose from, something which could kick into effect later in the game when players begin to tire. He is, however, without Adam Matthews. Younes Kaboul and Jan Kirchhoff are battling to regain full fitness again, but Wahbi Khazri could make his debut for the club after a £9m move from Bordeaux at the weekend. The same can be said of Lamine Kone, after completing his transfer to Wearside.
Sunderland, on the other hand, have been confined to Premier League action of late after early exits from both cup competitions. This is a blessing in disguise for Sam Allardyce, who has been able to put his full attention and effort into the battle for survival. They are coming off the back of a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth 10 days ago, and will be raring to get going once more.
The injury list at the Etihad is also growing ever longer, and Kevin de Bruyne’s shock injury in the semi-final triumph over Everton could prove to be a huge blow to their challenge on all four fronts. Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany are other big name absentees, with Eliaquim Mangala and Aleksandar Kolarov also injured.
One crucial factor in tonight’s game could be the fixture congestion that City have faced recently. After playing in the Capital One Cup semi-final against Everton, Manuel Pellegrini’s side faced a quick turnaround to then pick off Aston Villa in the FA Cup. So, for the third time in a week, an already depleted side will take to the field – Sunderland will be hoping that they can take full advantage of any tired legs.
This evening’s game features sides at the polar opposite ends of the table, but are both equally desperate to claim all three points. A win could move the Black Cats within a point of Norwich City in 17th, while the Citizens are seeking victory to keep pace with Leicester City at the top of the league.
Hello and welcome to VAVEL's live coverage of tonight’s Premier League clash between Sunderland and Manchester City. It promises to be a great game at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, as two teams at either end of the table scrap it out. My name is Jonathan Walsh and I'll be taking you through the events as they happen on Wearside, with kick-off set for 19:45 GMT.