Tuesday night saw Sunderland defeated thanks to an early goal from Sergio Aguero, as the gap between Sam Allardyce's side and the teams just outside of the relegation seems to widen with every passing match. The Black Cats were very unlucky to lose however, with the new boys in particular performing to a high standard in their first home game for the club.
However, Sunderland just could not find that midas touch in front of goal and were left with no points at the final whistle when they certainly deserved more. Here we take a look at five things that can be taken from last night's performance with the home side still very much in the mire.
Jan Kirchhoff proves that first impressions aren't everything
Much has been made of Jan Kirchhoff's now infamous debut against Tottenham at White Hart Lane, with fans and pundits criticising him for his frankly woeful performance in his first appearance since his move from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. However, that was a player that was nowhere near full match fitness and was being thrown into an unfamiliar environment against one of the top sides in the Premier League, so it is no wonder that he looked lost when he took to the field.
He started the match against Manchester City in a holding midfield role rather than the centre-back position that we saw against Tottenham, and it certainly suited him much more. Kirchhoff was Sunderland's best player on the night and displayed a calmness in front of the defence that relieved some of the pressure placed upon Lamine Kone and John O'Shea. The German was also not afraid to put a foot in, and won the ball back on multiple occasions which meant his side could instantly turn defence into attack and put Manchester City under the cosh.
We will no doubt be seeing more of Kirchhoff in this role in the near future, and with full match fitness still yet to be gained we can hope to see more performances of this calibre once he has had more game time.
Fabio Borini needs to re-discover his old self - and fast
Sunderland fans were overjoyed when the news came through that the man they had been chasing for the best part of a year was finally signing on a permanent deal, but they may not have been as enthusiastic if they knew that Fabio Borini would only be a shadow of his former self. Borini scored vital goals for Gus Poyet's side in the 2013/14 season which earned him the status of fan favourite, but that will quickly wear off if the Italian cannot find the type of performances that endeared him to fans originally.
So far this season Borini has played on the left wing, as he did for Poyet but has not had the same effect that he had during the 'miracle' season. His work-rate is never in question, but Borini has been anonymous in too many matches and has amassed just two goals and one assist since his return to the north-east, a stat that needs to improve if he is to help his side stay in the top-flight as well as stay in the starting eleven for future matches.
Fans already know that the ex-Liverpool forward can be an important player when he is on top of his game, but time is running out and Allardyce may soon decide that he can't afford to wait around for Borini's form to return.
New signings impress despite defeat
Alongside Kirchhoff, three other new signings also made their Sunderland debuts in the form of Wahbi Khazri, Dame N'Doye and Lamine Kone with the two former players making an appearance from the bench whilst the latter started the match.
Kone offered a much needed physical presence to the back four as he enjoyed a solid debut, including a moment that got the fans cheering as he crashed into Yaya Toure leaving him in a heap on the sidelines. The Ivorian could have even netted a debut goal, but his header from Jeremain Lens' free kick was placed the wrong side of Joe Hart's post.
In the second half of the match Wahbi Khazri and Dame N'Doye made their debuts from the bench, as Allardyce looked to get the equaliser that would have given his side the initiative for the remainder of the match. Khazri was used in a wide role, and was very energetic as he chased down passes in the Manchester City half and looked to find a teammate with a forward pass at every opportunity. His set-piece delivery was also seen as he tried to catch Hart out with two corners into the near post but to no avail.
Senegalese striker N'Doye was seen later in the second half than Khazri and took the place of Fabio Borini in a wide position with a licence to cut inside and drive towards goal as the clock ticked down towards the final minutes. As Khazri did, the ex-Hull forward looked to chase down loose passes and push his side further up the pitch, as well as offering a more physical presence than Jermain Defoe was able to over the course of the match. He will be afforded more time in the future but it is great for Allardyce as he now has two different types of striker at his disposal.
Sunderland are still missing a quality right-back
The main gripe that many Sunderland fans had with the January transfer window is that the club were unable to secure a right-back's signature over the course of the month, with Mathieu Debuchy being one of the players linked although he secured a late move to Wahbi Khazri's old team Bordeaux.
Sunderland have mainly used Billy Jones and DeAndre Yedlin in the position, with summer signing Adam Matthews seemingly a forgotten man at the Stadium of Light after his one and only first-team appearance against Leicester City on the opening day of the season.
Yedlin has similar deficiencies to left-back Patrick van Aanholt, in that he lacks positional sense and can commit to the attacking side of the game too much, leaving his defence exposed on his side of the pitch. Jones has been the first-choice for the majority of the season, and his performances have been consistently average for much season as he has failed to offer anything of real quality neither in attack nor defence.
The full-back position has never been an easy one for the Black Cats to fill, with players such as Jack Colback, Craig Gardner and Kieran Richardson being converted from midfield to defence in the past, but the January window was a chance to add some quality in the position and that chance has been and gone for Sam Allardyce.
The next Tyne-Wear derby is now more important than ever
After both Newcastle and Sunderland lost this week, they now occupy both 18th and 19th place in the Premier League with only Aston Villa sitting beneath them, and with Swansea and Bournemouth hitting runs of form in recent weeks the gap between the relegation zone and safety is increasing with every game.
With Newcastle having amassed 21 points thus far to Sunderland's 19, and 17th placed Norwich City sitting on 23 points whilst Swansea are 16th with 26 points, the Tyne-Wear derby on March 20 could leave one of the two north-east teams all but relegated if one of the sides were to win and climb away from their rivals.
The match is of course always a high pressure encounter, but with pride, top-flight status and potentially immense financial rewards being on the line it would be understandable if fans are starting to look ahead to the match with great dread.