Arsenal only took a point here, so perhaps this qualifies as par over the course of a Premier League title race. But Sunderland needed stoppage-time to rescue a draw on that occasion. Here, it was Manchester City just as relieved to escape on level terms.
Factor in that this version of the Black Cats is depleted by half a dozen AFCON absentees, and it feels like two points dropped for Pep Guardiola’s side. It leaves them four behind Arsenal at the halfway stage.
Just as irritating as the outcome for the head coach should be the performance, especially on the back of eight straight wins in all competitions. The order at the top of the table was starting to feel increasingly fragile, and not because of a vulnerability in North London.
Rather, it was the sound of wheels turning in the North West that was humming with familiar menace. They have been like a night train of late, gathering momentum as if under the cover of darkness, given the spotlight on pace-setters Arsenal.
But here at the Stadium of Light it was they who were rattled for large periods. They remain on track, of course - one draw against hosts unbeaten in their own back yard does not derail a team with this much talent - but this was unconvincing and City’s best spells were fleeting at either end of a contest in which Regis Le Bris’ men fought that little bit harder and ran that little bit faster.
City had exclusive ownership of the ball during the first two minutes - that felt ominous - and they only surrendered possession when kicking for touch so Nathan Ake could receive treatment. It felt ominous, too, when the visitors scored moments after the restart only for Bernardo Silva to find his heel offside. A sense of foreboding, however, soon made way for opportunity for Sunderland.
For all of their early territory, City were camped in the home half but had forgotten the mallet. Savinho was seeing plenty of the ball and doing nothing with it. Erling Haaland was not seeing much of anything at all, bar the imposing presence of minder Nordi Mukiele. At just £9.5m from PSG, the centre-back would perhaps rank as the best value signing of the summer, had Sunderland not got Granit Xhaka for only a few million more from Leverkusen. The captain orchestrated his side’s revival.
With Sunderland suddenly on top, Guardiola waved his annoyance when Matheus Nunes cleared carelessly - the manager wanted a pass, not a punt - and from that City needed Ruben Dias to beat Brian Brobbey to Trai Hume’s cross inside the six-yard area. Dias was too smart on that occasion but, when it became a battle of body and not mind, Brobbey was soon the victor.
The pair fought in pursuit of a ball over the top. Dias fell at the feet of the stronger man and Brobbey was only denied an opening goal by the legs of Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper stayed down and signalled for treatment, but it felt as much like a cunning timeout. City needed it. Their fans had asked the home crowd as to the whereabouts of their ‘famous atmosphere’ after the dominant start. Well, now they had it.
Next it was Phil Foden irritating Guardiola and stoking still further the locals. He did pass rather than hurriedly clear inside his own area - the problem was his short ball was straight to Sunderland’s Eliezer Mayenda, whose snap shot was deflected wide.
Foden soon corrected his error at the other end and, belatedly, we had City’s first effort on target in the 37th minute, Haaland connecting with his team-mate’s pull-back only for Robin Roefs to repel his low steer in Sunderland’s goal. It was one of only three touches in the penalty area for Haaland before half-time, and so it was an interval that arrived not a moment too soon City, especially given the scare of Hume heading narrowly over from Xhaka’s cross in stoppage-time.
Guardiola responded by bringing on Ballon D’Or winner Rodri at the break, but City weren’t winning any prizes for this performance. Savinho swiped hopelessly over from Ryan Cherki’s tidy centre and it was not long before the Brazilian was replaced by Jeremy Doku, albeit citing injury.
Forward-thinking left back Josko Gvardiol was then thrown on by Guardiola before the hour but, for all the changes, nothing changed. He might even have taken off Haaland after he spooned one ball straight out of play, much to the glee of those in the home end who jostled to catch the errant pass.
At least Donnarumma’s handling was sound and he was again needed to keep out Mayenda after Enzo Le Fee had opened up City’s defence. Le Fee is much in the mould of Silva, and it was the less heralded playmaker making more of his moments on the ball.
It was only inside the final 25 minutes that City began to reverse the direction of play, and Guardiola’s substitutes showed the motivation behind their introduction. In what was their best chance to that point, Gvardiol strode unnoticed between the home centre backs and Rodri landed the ball on his brow from deep.
It looked as if the Croatian had twisted his frame to turn the game when looping a header on goal, only for Roefs to flip behind for a corner. Gvardiol later hit the post when hooking goalwards from 12 yards and Doku was denied a certain goal by the face of the outstanding Mukiele.
He was on the scene again during a goalmouth scramble in the final minute, but by then we knew it was not to be City’s night. They probably cannot afford too many more like this if they are to regain the title in what could yet be Guardiola’s final season.