Sunderland 0 Manchester City 1

The problem still facing Sam Allardyce and the rest of Wearside, however, is that the Black Cats remain in a relegation mess after defeat No.15 from 24 games in the Premier League, albeit to a City team very much in the hunt for the title.

While nationally the spotlight was on City following the announcement that Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola will replace Pellegrini at the end of the season, Sunderland ran them close … so close.

Courtesy of Sergio Aguero’s predatory 16th minute winner, though, Sunderland are staring at a four-point gap to safety ahead of Saturday’s trip to Liverpool and that could get even worse should arch-rivals Newcastle United stun Everton on Wednesday night.

Pellegrini was able to celebrate another victory in his 100th Premier League match in charge, but Allardyce trudged down the tunnel contemplating what might have been.

Sam Allardyce gestures to his team

This was always going to be a tough night for Sunderland, but they could easily have earned a result.

Very few of the travelling supporters high in the North Stand could have argued had Sunderland grabbed the equaliser that much of their play deserved.

Defensively, with £5m centre-back Lamine Kone a tower of strength at the back, Sunderland were strong for the vast majority of the 90 minutes and that was significantly helped by the performance of Jan Kirchhoff in front of the back four too.

It was further forward where they lacked that little bit of magic to unlock a City team now unbeaten in seven and three points behind league leaders Leicester City.

Sunderland's Jermain Defoe and Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi clash

Allardyce resisted the temptation to throw all of his transfer window outfield signings into his starting line-up at the earliest opportunity, but he did hand first starts at the Stadium of Light to two of them.

While playmaker Wahbi Khazri and striker Dame N’Doye had to watch the opening half from the bench, Kone was thrust straight into the back four alongside skipper John O’Shea following his switch from Lorient and there was the reappearance of Kirchhoff too.

The German defender, who had a nightmare substitute debut outing in the 4-1 defeat at Tottenham, was asked to protect the backline and he was effective from the moment he carried the ball out from the back early on.

Despite some encouraging signs from a new-look Sunderland line-up, with Jermain Defoe operating as lone striker again, any hopes of a fifth win from six league meetings on Wearside against City soon disappeared.

When Yaya Toure played a short one-two with Aguero, under the attention of Kirchhoff, Sunderland looked solid enough when the ball was forced out wide to Jesus Navas. Then the Spaniard’s lowly drilled centre found its way to Aguero, who rounded Billy Jones before powering a finish beyond goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

After that Aguero curled an effort onto the roof of Mannone’s bar from 20 yards, but Manchester City were not allowed to take control by a Sunderland team which pressed the light blue shirts in possession and looked more dangerous for the remainder of the half.

The problem Sunderland encountered was that they did not seriously test Joe Hart in the visiting goal until the closing stages of the half. When he ought to have been, Kone missed the target with a free header from ten yards when he was left unmarked to meet Jeremain Lens’ free-kick from the left.

And when they did test Hart just before half-time he was in unbeatable mood.

Firstly he got down low to his left to block Defoe’s low strike after his lovely turn in the box and, when Jones almost converted the rebound, the England keeper crawled across goal in time to thwart the follow up.

Allardyce still felt a change was needed for the second half, so Khazri, the £9m signing from Bordeaux, was introduced on the flank. It was a difficult night for him to make his debut, but he occasionally showed good close control to test the City defence.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of Sunderland’s promising opening was that Pellegrini took off youngster Kelechi Iheanacho at the same time, enabling Toure to push further forward to create problems for the packed Sunderland midfield.

It worked because City were more dominant in the second half, even if they struggled to create clear cut chances and make life harder for Mannone.

Defoe caused problems for the visitors’ and there was a sense he could be the man to drag things level given half a chance, which clearly ruffled centre-backs Nicolas Otamendi and Martin Demichelis who both claimed to have been caught by elbows from the striker.

Sunderland should have levelled with ten minutes to go. After Hart had conceded a corner for making a flying save to deny Jones’ drive from 25 yards, the chance to equalise was a great one – it just fell to the wrong man.

When Khazri’s trickery out wide earned the space to deliver a centre, the ball dropped invitingly at the back post for an unmarked man in a red and white shirt. But O’Shea, like a duck out of water, got himself in a mess and volleyed over.

Sunderland, who threw on N’Doye to add extra firepower late on, piled on the pressure in the closing stages but City did enough to hold on; particularly with one stunning block from Otamendi.

However, the applause that rang around the Stadium of Light at the final whistle highlighted how this was a night to provide a little bit of hope ahead of another nervy final few months.

HOW TWITTER REACTED TO SUNDERLAND'S DEFEAT:

Matthew ‏@matthewward1991 

That was much better tonight but we need to keep that level of performance up if we're to stand a chance of surviving #safc

Matthew Stewart ‏@MattStewart93 

Some things will never change though.... Catts, Billy Jones and Borini are still dreadful #safc

David Boyle ‏@davidboyle1985  

Redemption, thy name is Jan Kirchhoff #safc

joe thompson ‏@joerthompson91  

Fantastic spirit and performance.... But unfortunately it's all about points at this stage #safc

Chris Raine ‏@iamraineyy

Devastated to not get something from that game mind! Not many teams this season have put city under pressure like we did tonight. #safc

Ben Potts ‏@bpotts16  

On a stage that included Aguero, Silva and Toure, Jan Kirchoff was, by a country mile, the best player on the pitch #safc