Champions Manchester City kept their first clean sheet of the season during Sunderland's visit to the Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

Unanswered goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Sergio Aguero and James Milner was enough for Roberto Mancini's side to claim all three points against the visiting Black Cats.

Here, Sports Mole looks back over the match to determine whether or not City were deserving of the victory.

Match statistics

Man City
Shots: 26
On Target: 16
Possession: 61%
Corners: 15
Fouls: 10

Sunderland
Shots: 8
On Target: 6
Possession: 39%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 10

Was the result fair?

From the first whistle until the last, there was only going to be one winner of this match. Hosting City created numerous chances and arguably deserved to win by an even greater margin than three goals.

Man City's performance

This will probably be the first time that Mancini will be 100% pleased with his players. They looked dangerous every single time they went forward and were back to the usual stubborn best in defence.

Sunderland's performance?

Martin O'Neill's side kept the ball well at times. However, Steven Fletcher was always isolated and was left to feed off scraps. The Irish manager will also probably be disappointed to see his team concede from two free kicks, both of which were given away needlessly.

Referee's performance

No complaints about the way in which Lee Probert officiated this game. To be honest, there wasn't any big calls for the referee to make. He issued three yellow cards, all of which were deserved.

Sports Mole's man of the match

It was the complete performance from Serbian full-back Kolarov. He sent City on their way by scoring a free kick with the game not even five minutes old. The 26-year-old then played a key role in the important second goal when he drilled in a cross for Aguero to score. He also carried out his defensive duties astutely.

Biggest gaffe

With the game just four minutes old Sunderland Carlos Cuellar made a rash and needless challenge on Carlos Tevez on the edge of the area. The Spaniard was booked and from the resultant free kick Kolarov curled City into the lead. It was an uphill task for Sunderland from that point on.

What's next?

Man City: After the international break the Citizens will travel to the Black Country to take on Steve Clarke's West Bromwich Albion.

Sunderland: The Mackems next outing will see them entertain local rivals Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light.