Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland recap - Premier League result as Ruben Dias screamer and Josko Gvardiol strike win it for City

Manchester City swept aside Sunderland 3-0 to close to two points behind league leaders Arsenal, with The Black Cats well below par following their heroics at Anfield on Wednesday as Pep Guardiola’s side barely got out of second gear.

A fairly dour contest saw few opportunities for either side in the first half but a Ruben Dias screamer from 25 yards gave Manchester City the advantage at the Etihad Stadium, before Josko Gvardiol doubled the lead with a commanding header just four minutes later.

Wilson Isidor and Granit Xhaka both had chances to bring Sunderland back into the game and the Swiss midfielder even hit the post, shortly before Rayan Cherki set up Phil Foden to kill the game.

A live-wire all evening, Cherki tortured Trai Hume on the right flank before flicking a rabona cross for the arriving Foden to head home, after the Englishman had assisted Gvardiol’s goal.

With both managers making a host of changes after that, the game looked set to fizzle out, as Guardiola and Regis Le Bris looked ahead to pivotal clashes with Real Madrid and Newcastle respectively next week, but Luke O’Nien changed that with his red card.

After being subbed on for his second career Premier League appearance as he builds up his match fitness and sharpness having missed a lengthy spell due to a shoulder injury, O’Nien was sent off for leaping into a horror tackle on Matheus Nunes with seconds left on the clock.

That means he will miss the Tyne-Wear derby that Sunderland now enter just a point ahead of Newcastle, as The Black Cats could end the weekend as low as 11th.

Manchester City leapfrog Aston Villa back into second and are poised to return to the top of the league should an injury-hit Arsenal side slip up any more.

It's been a day of big victories in the Premier League and there's another huge clash coming up very soon at Elland Road. We've got live text coverage of that game live right now, as well as Barcelona's trip to Real Betis so do check those out! Here's how the weekend is playing out...

FT - Aston Villa 2-1 Arsenal

FT - Everton 3-0 Nottingham Forest

FT - Newcastle 2-1 Burnley

FT - Tottenham 2-0 Brentford

FT - Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea

FT - Manchester City 3-0 Bournemouth

17:30 - Leeds v Liverpool

Sunday: 14:00 - Brighton v West Ham, 16:30 - Fulham v Crystal Palace, Monday: Wolves v Man United (All UK time)

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And that's all she wrote. After the highs of that draw at Anfield, Sunderland come crashing down to earth in horrible fashion, put to the sword by a ruthless Manchester City.

It's a moment of madness from O'Nien that could prove very costly for Sunderland!

It's a truly brainless move, diving into a high tackle that could've been a leg breaker when you're seconds away from the full-time whistle in a 3-0 defeat, especially considering how hard he's had to work to get himself back available and in contention for selection.

Well I was wrong about that. Luke O'Nien - who'd only made his Premier League debut against Liverpool after such a long spell out with a shoulder injury - has launched into a challenge on Matheus Nunes that doesn't look good.

VAR is taking a look...

Given how little has happened in the last 14 minutes, don't expect too much from these last four.

It's set to be a pretty significant result in the Premier League table, City will move back into second place and crucially be within three points of Arsenal after Aston Villa beat The Gunners earlier.

Meanwhile Sunderland could be as low as 10th by Monday evening, and will enter the derby with Newcastle next week just a point ahead of their rivals.

It's a huge shame he won't be able to try and get the goal his performance has deserved, but Cherki has at least taken his opportunity today.

The only Premier League game on right now that's in jeopardy is Bournemouth v Chelsea which remains 0-0, but in Manchester the life is fading fast from this contest. And it didn't have too much to begin with.

City could've had two in the last two minutes, as Le Bris has effectively waved the white flag by withdrawing his players that were a card away from picking up a suspension for the derby next week.

The hosts are pressing for more though and almost got it when Cherki broke forward, cut inside and fired across goal. Roefs did well to save it at full stretch but there was still an agonising moment when the ball bounced towards the dead ball line and could've slipped inside the post.

Make that six in three, but it will be no more for Phil Foden as he's replaced by Tijjani Riejnders ahead of City's UEFA Champions League clash with Real Madrid next week. Haaland and Gvardiol are also off, for Omar Marmoush and Nathan Ake.

That's how quickly things can flip in the Premier League. Sunderland had two gilt-edged chances to halve the deficit but didn't take them and now City have effectively sealed the game.

Rabona assist alert! Cherki has had Trai Hume on toast down the right flank, with the Northern Irishman clueless as to the winger's next move before he pulls out a rabona cross to Phil Foden to head home - what a team goal!

How often does Erling Haaland miss those shots! The goalie was out of the picture yet from six or seven yards out after an incredible jinking run through a crowded penalty area by Rayan Cherki, Haaland's surprisingly tame effort is cleared off the line by Lutsharel Geertruida.

That one-on-one proves to be Isidor's first and last chance of the game, as he makes way for Brian Brobbey and Chemsdine Talbi swaps places with Bertrand Traore.

Dias' thunderbolt aside, after only 10 minutes the second half has already been better than the entire first period. A corner is flicked on to Xhaka who's in space on the right of the penalty area, he seems to take an age to shoot but when he does it's worth it, a laser driven on the floor that hammers into the post and bounces back into the sea of bodies.

Donnarumma wasn't getting to that if it had been placed a foot to the left but somehow, City survive.

Out of nowhere, Wilson Isidor almost pulled one back for Sunderland! He cuts off a pass from Dias across the penalty area and is immediately into a one-on-one! However, Donnarumma spreads himself wide an the shot was probably a little too central.

Of course, as soon as I say that, City almost go 3-0 up. Doku cuts inside and curls his effort around Roefs, another 6 inches to the left and it's in but instead the ball slams off the post and out to Foden, who Sunderland do well to rush and close down his shooting angle.

It's not taken long for Guardiola's side to retake control of possession, once again they don't look like creating too many gilt-edged chances.