SUNDERLAND have pulled off some remarkable survival feats in the last few seasons, but if they are to scramble to safety again in the next two months, their forthcoming act of escapology will have to be their best. The Black Cats have been in some wretched positions recently, but none have been as bad as this.

Manchester City’s clinical 2-0 victory at the Stadium of Light leaves David Moyes’ side six points adrift of safety – effectively seven if you take into account their dreadful goal difference – with 11 games remaining. Given they have only claimed seven points from their last 11 outings, they would barely survive on current form even if all their relegation rivals failed to pick up another point.

Sunderland have claimed 19 points from their 27 matches – at an identical stage of last season, they had 23 on the board. Their tally in the three previous seasons stood at 25, 25 and 29 at this stage, so while Sam Allardyce, Dick Advocaat and Gustavo Poyet were all lauded for guiding Sunderland to safety, they all started from a more positive point than the one David Moyes finds himself inhabiting at the moment. They also had better squads.

This is surely going to be the season when Sunderland’s luck finally runs out, with today’s defeat highlighting many of the failings that will ultimately prove decisive.

The Black Cats weren’t dreadful, and City have inflicted much more damage on superior opposition this season. But aside for a Jermain Defoe shot that rocketed against the post in the first half, Sunderland never looked like threatening Willy Caballero in the City goal.

They were vulnerable at the other end, however, and after Aguero eased ahead of Lamine Kone to break the deadlock at the end of the first half, Leroy Sane slotted past Jordan Pickford to give the scoreline a more realistic look in the second.

Sunderland’s effort couldn’t be faulted, especially before the break, but they clearly lack quality. As a result, there were times when today’s game resembled an FA Cup third-round tie, with a lower-league side mounting a rearguard action against one of the Premier League’s big boys, who were content to spend most of their time going through the motions. City will not have many more comfortable afternoons all season.  

There was a time when they must have dreaded coming to the Stadium of Light. Sunderland recorded three 1-0 home wins in a row when City were at their pomp competing for Premier League titles under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, but Aguero’s goalscoring abilities have redressed the balance in recent seasons and this never looked like being another surprise outcome.

Today’s opener made it five goals in Aguero’s last four appearances on Wearside, but it would be wrong to suggest that the Argentinian’s 42nd-minute strike capped a dominant first-half display from the visitors.

Instead, Sunderland frustrated their opponents for most of the first half, with their energy, work rate and commitment regularly prompting errors. With Seb Larsson closing down David Silva whenever he was in possession and Didier Ndong tearing here, there and everywhere to prevent City from passing out casually from the back, Pep Guardiola’s side initially struggled to make an impression in the final third.

They were especially ineffective in the wide positions, with Adnan Januzaj and Fabio Borini’s willingness to work up and down the flank negating the impact of full-back duo Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy.

Januzaj has flattered to deceive for much of the season, but he almost released Defoe through the middle after skipping past two defenders early on, and was a threat whenever he sought to cut infield to support Sunderland’s lone striker.

Unsurprisingly, Defoe was the hosts’ main threat, and he could hardly have come closer to breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute. There appeared to be little on when Fabio Borini shuffled the ball into his path 25 yards from goal, but after twisting away from his marker, Defoe cracked in an excellent effort that cannoned off the base of the left-hand post. Borini, following up, could only direct a diving header wide.

It was classic Defoe, a chance from nothing, and if Sunderland are to survive in the next two months, their leading goalscorer will be at the vanguard of their recovery.

Without his goals, Sunderland would already be dead and buried, and while Billy Jones went close with two first-half headers from corners – the first was directed straight at Caballero and the second drifted wide – Defoe was effectively the Black Cats’ only threat.

Aguero was similarly important for City at the other end, and while the Argentinian cut an increasingly frustrated figure as he was starved of service for much of the first half, he struck to devastating effect three minutes before the break.

A typically slick passing move featuring Yaya Toure and Silva ended with the ball at the feet of Raheem Sterling on the right-hand side. His cross flicked off Bryan Oviedo, and Aguero stole ahead of a flat-footed Kone to stab home at the front post. It is not the first time Kone has been undone in a similar fashion, with Alexis Sanchez having scored in an almost identical manner in Arsenal’s win on Wearside in October.

The goal gave Manchester City a firm degree of control, and the visitors spent most of the second half playing within themselves as they sought to pick off Sunderland on the break.

They came close to a second goal in the 57th minute, with Jordan Pickford parrying Silva’s low shot from the corner of the area, and only had to wait another couple of minutes to double their advantage.

It was another clinically simple strike, with the influential Silva releasing Sane on the outside of Jones. The German powered into the area, and slotted a crisp finish beyond Pickford to claim his third goal in City’s last three matches.

Sunderland’s attacking-midfield options were markedly inferior to City’s, and are a key reason why the Black Cats find themselves at the foot of the table. Januzaj, Borini and Ndong have scored two Premier League goals between them this season, and that surely has to change if relegation is not to be confirmed.

Januzaj glanced a header wide after Bryan Oviedo crossed from the left, and Seb Larsson forced Caballero into a decent save as he shot from the right-hand side of the area, but Sunderland’s attacking lacked conviction. If that doesn’t change quickly, they will be trying to score in the Championship next season.