IF only Fabio Borini’s harshly disallowed goal had counted or if Ola Toivonen had seen his first-half header fly in to the net instead of over the bar, then things may well have been different for Sunderland.

Well, it’s probably best to consider the positives from a first-half in which Manchester City’s attacking brilliance was far too much for a Sunderland team which had already struggled to cope in the first six weeks of the new season with everyone else.

After Sergio Aguero’s ninth minute penalty got things rolling, there was no stopping City from regularly adding to their tally.

Kevin de Bruyne doubled the lead in the 25th minute before Vito Mannone helped Raheem Sterling’s shot over the line after it hit the post, even if the goalkeeper knew very little about it, eight minutes later.

And nine minutes before half-time Sterling himself got his name on the scoresheet with a tidy finish, to take Sunderland’s unwanted tally of goals conceded in the first half of games this season to an astonishing 17 in just eight matches.

Let’s not forget that this was against Manchester City, boasting some of the world’s best and most expensive players in their ranks. But Sunderland’s defensive deficiencies made it far too easy for Manuel Pellegrini’s men to exploit.

There will not be a great surge to the Capital One Cup final to warm Wearside hearts like there was in 2014 under Gus Poyet. Instead Dick Advocaat, who faces a real test of his managerial ability and experience to address the shortcomings, must focus on keeping Sunderland in the Premier League.

Any hopes Advocaat – whose side did pull a goal back seven minutes before the end through Toivonen’s first for the club - might have had of Pellegrini fielding a weakened team had been dispelled by the teamsheet knocked out an hour before kick-off.

When a side is struggling to keep clean sheets the last thing a group of defenders will want to see is Aguero, Sterling and de Bruyne all flying at them and that was exactly what the red and white shirts had to contend with.

Sunderland - without the suspended Younes Kaboul, who was replaced by Sebastien Coates – failed to come to terms with the situation until it was too late and City were out of sight and into the last-16.

And yet the luminous green shirts had to defend quite a bit in the opening 25 minutes; both before and after the opening goal.

Poor defending –again though – opened the door for Manchester City. As if they needed any help, Aguero should have scored before he actually did when he turned a low cross from Jesus Navas wide when full-back Patrick van Aanholt was nowhere to be seen.

And, after Aguero turned an effort beyond the far post as a result of an awful pass from Coates that ended at the feet at Sterling, van Aanholt was at fault again moments later.

He showed the speedy Navas inside and tripped the Spaniard. There were claims from Sunderland that it was just outside the box, but referee Roger East pointed to the spot and Aguero clinically converted, sending Mannone the wrong way.

To be a goal down to Manchester City inside nine minutes was not the ideal way to forget about the early problems which proved so costly at Bournemouth, but at least they did show some fight and attacking intention.

Shame it didn’t last.

Borini, starting centrally up front ahead of Jermain Defoe to accommodate Adam Johnson, had the ball in the net when he brought down Yann M’Vila’s searching pass and applied the finish beneath goalkeeper Caballero. He was adjudged to have pushed Nicolas Otamendi and play was pulled back.

Then seconds before the City second, debutant DeAndre Yedlin sent in a perfect cross for Toivonen to force a one-handed save out of Willy Caballero. From the resultant corner, the Premier League leaders counter-attacked in style.

When Aguero passed in to the path of de Bruyne, the Belgian played a clever one-two with Sterling which had the Sunderland defence cut apart. The former Wolfsburg man cleverly picked out the inside of Mannone’s near post.

And Mannone’s dreadful return to the side saw him have the misfortune of seeing Sterling’s shot rebound off him and go over the line after hitting the post. The keeper was initially guilty of putting the ball into the path of Sterling after a poor attempt at dealing with Bacary Sagna’s cross.

And the fourth and final goal of an abysmal first half for the Black Cats arrived when de Bruyne played in Sterling, who was clumsily played on by van Aanholt, and he cleverly curled a finish up and around Mannone.

It would have been five before the break had Yedlin and Coates not combined to prevent Aguero from adding his second when he rounded Mannone – and Sunderland could not really have had any complaints had it gone in.

The introduction of Lee Cattermole at the break did help shore up Sunderland and that did lead to a couple more attacks from the home side, although Manchester City did have the comfortable lead to relax their play.

And Sunderland did not finish completely empty-handed. Yedlin, whose attacking play should prove useful, teed up Toivonen seven minutes from time to glance a near-post header beyond Caballero.

It raised a few cheers, but the damage had already been well and truly done and Sunderland bowed out.

Now for Old Trafford.

HOW FANS REACTED TO THE RESULT ON TWITTER: 

Michael Gray ‏@mickygray33 

"I've had my say... But our fans are and always will be the best #SAFC"

Stuart Brand ‏@StuartBrand7  

"Any Sunderland fan leaving to go home. Get back in your seat. Sit down and appreciate how outstanding Man City have been"

Brian ‏@shotb83 

"We've conceded 20 goals in 8 games so far, including 3 against League two Exeter. Woeful."

Steven Rochester ‏@StevenRochie  

"Seen #safc play worse and win a game .... Hardest thing gonna be getting that first win , why not Saturday ! Keep the faith"

littleletters ‏@littleletters  

"I feel sorry for the two players that somehow got conned into playing for #safc - they looked nothing but sad on the pitch tonight"

Jona Gott ‏@Jona_Gott  

"Lad sat behind me tonight said we threw away 3 points tonight! Didnt know if i should of laughed or shook my head #SAFC"