Manchester City welcomed Sunderland to the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League looking for three points to put further pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea.
A late goal from Frank Lampard was enough to ensure a 3-2 victory for the hosts, after Jack Rodwell and Adam Johnson had cancelled out goals from Yaya Toure and Stevan Jovetic.
Here, Sports Mole rates all of the players involved in the contest on New Year's Day.
© Getty ImagesMANCHESTER CITY
Goal
Wilfredo Caballero: Has had very little chance to feature for City this season and turned in an impressively concentrated performance for the hosts. Made two standout stops to deny Sunderland, his best coming from a Sebastian Larsson free kick. (7/10)
Defence
Pablo Zabaleta: Typically strong showing from the full-back. Was involved both defensively and offensively, but was clumsy in the tackle that gave Sunderland the penalty. (6/10)
Eliaquim Mangala: Has struggled since moving to Manchester, although today was one of his stronger performances in a blue shirt. Showed terrific pace to get his side out of danger in the first half and partnered well with Demichelis in the wake of Vincent Kompany's absence. (7/10)
Martín Demichelis: Worked well alongside Mangala and went about his work with real class. Impressively able to turn defence into attack with some neat passing and good control at the back. (7/10)
Gael Clichy: Solid in defence and went forward on every occasion available. Turned in a standout cross to find Jovetic for the second goal. (7/10)
Midfield
Samir Nasri: Moved the ball well in midfield, but was perhaps at fault for the lack of creativity required to open the scoring in the first half. Hassled Sunderland well and covered a good amount of ground despite his attacking sensibilities. (6/10)
Yaya Toure: Commanding performance from the midfielder. Controlled the midfield from start to finish and provided the all-important goal to get the game moving. He'll be sorely missed when he departs for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month (9/10)
David Silva: Continues to keep this City team ticking over and was a constant threat for Sunderland. Lots of good runs and intricate passing. Played one superb ball for Fernandinho, who should have got himself on the scoresheet. (8/10)
Fernandinho: A vital cog in the City machine in this game. Broke up the play and produced a simple game to get attacks on their way. Made several good runs forward and should have scored but for the brilliance of Costel Pantilimon. (7/10)
Jesus Navas: Good shift down the right flank and was a willing runner for the entire game. Might have done better with his final product, though. (7/10)
Attack
Stevan Jovetic: Finally beginning to show his class. Held up the ball well and dropped deep to help create space for midfield runners. Fantastic movement and finishing to grab himself a goal too. (8/10)
Substitutes
Frank Lampard: Chelsea might be wondering why they let him go... Match-winning performance from the midfielder who only played 20 minutes of the contest. Brilliant header to seal all three points and showed acute timing to make a number of dangerous late runs into the Sunderland box. (9/10)
James Milner: A very brief cameo for Milner, but he almost scored with one of his first touches. Worked hard to retrieve possession in the closing stages. (7/10)
Aleksandar Kolarov: Late introduction for the defender who carried out all of the necessaries at the back. (6/10)
© Getty ImagesSUNDERLAND
Goal
Costel Pantilimon: World-class performance from the Sunderland stopper. Made save after save in the second half to ensure that Sunderland made this a contest right until the closing stages. (9/10)
Defence
Billy Jones: Worked well down the flank despite the continual presence of Silva and Jovetic swapping positions. Terrific feet to win the penalty too. (7/10)
Wes Brown: Strong in the opening half and did well to ensure that his side went into the interval on level terms. City were eventually too strong, though. (7/10)
John O'Shea: Struggled to keep up with the movement offered by City's mobile frontline. Particularly weary against Jovetic and Silva. Might have shown a little more command when defending City's winner too. (6/10)
Santiago Vergini: Stuck to his task with great determination and obviously took note from Poyet's tactical plans. Appeared tired going into the final 10 minutes and was substituted. (7/10)
Midfield
Jack Rodwell: Came up with the goods when required to head home and give Sunderland a lifeline. Showed industry in the middle, but just couldn't get a grasp of things as Toure and Fernandinho seized control. (7/10)
Sebastian Larsson: Failed to offer too much when out of possession, though the midfielder was denied by a good save from Wilfredo Caballero in the first half. (6/10)
Adam Johnson: Worked hard all afternoon and made no mistake by rifling home from the spot. Was a little isolated when going forward, although he made use of all that was given to him. (7/10)
Jordi Gomez: Fairly anonymous in the first half and was substituted early in the second. Failed to provide any resistance against City's dominant midfield. (6/10)
Will Buckley: Struggled down the wing and was nullified by Gael Clichy. Taken off to be replaced by Ricardo Alvarez not too long into the second period. (6/10)
Attack
Connor Wickham: Hard-fought showing from the youngster. Ran the channels with determination and chased a number of lost causes during an otherwise frustrating away trip for the striker. (7/10)
Substitutes
Ricardo Alvarez: Far more productive than Will Buckley and played his part in winning his side a penalty in the second half. (7/10)
Emanuele Giaccherini: Introduced to add some spice in Sunderland's attack. Helped to push his side forward, but soon faded after his team had drawn level. (6/10)
Sebastian Coates: Brought on to replace a tiring Vergini. Could do little to impact the game as Sunderland sought to muster a late equaliser. (6/10)
Christopher Dodd
