Sunderland AFC travelled to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Sunday afternoon for their third clash in the space of a week – with tired legs on full display

Brian Brobbey managed a hat-trick against Manchester City(Image: Getty Images)

Sunderland provided a stellar account of themselves despite suffering a 5-3 loss to Manchester City on Sunday, with Brian Brobbey managing a hat-trick.

Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring for the Cityzens in the ninth minute, converting from a free-kick at the edge of the area – Robin Roefs leaving a wealth of space at his near post which the Argentine midfielder was happy to utilise.

City didn’t hold the lead for long, however, with Enzo Le Fee finding Brobbey bursting through the Sky Blues’ backline moments later, before the Dutchman dinked the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma with the outside of his right foot.

A sloppy attempt to play out from the back 29 minutes in allowed City to once more take the lead, Rayan Cherki navigating a number of bodies inside the Black Cats’ box before finding the gap.

In a case of history repeating itself, however, Brobbey was on hand to equalise once again just four minutes later. Le Fee found Thomas Meunier in the box, who cut back to Brobbey to fire into the back of an empty net.

It was ultimately the hosts who headed into half-time with the lead, however, with Antoine Semenyo – who enjoyed a brief loan spell on Wearside in 2020 – firing through the legs of Kevin Danso and past Roefs to make it 3-2.

City came out swinging in the second-half, Enzo Maresca’s men catching the Red and White Army on the break in the 57th minute with Semenyo bagging his own brace with power, Erling Haaland in support but ultimately not needed.

Right on time, Brobbey secured his hat-trick moments later, Granit Xhaka finding Nilson Angulo over the top, with the Ecuadorian squaring it across the line to the Netherlands international to tap in.

While Sunderland more than held their own as they looked for an equaliser, it was Haaland who put the game to bed 5-3 with less than 10 minutes of normal time to play, poking home at the back stick.

Here, Chronicle Live’s Aaron Morris breaks down some of the key talking points from Sunderland’s away trip to Manchester City…

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Granit Xhaka needs a rest

Of course, with Premier League clashes against Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as Sunderland’s first appearance in Europe in 53 years against AZ Alkmaar, Regis Le Bris was always going to need his best players available for the past week.

However, as expected, three tough games in the space of seven says has ultimately taken a toll on some of the squad’s senior talents. At 33, Xhaka struggled to match the pace against Maresca’s City on Sunday, failing to dominate the heart of midfield and pull the strings as we’ve seen countless times throughout his incredible career.

Rotation for the captain was always going to be required this season, especially considering the heightened physical demands that European football brings on top of an already congested season. Add to that the fact that Xhaka hardly had a summer break to rest and recover due to the World Cup, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Granit Xhaka looked tired against City(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

While the international break will see a lull in domestic and European competition for Sunderland until October 10 (when they take on Brighton at the Stadium of Light), Xhaka will now join up with his Switzerland team-mates for clashes against Scotland and Slovenia, and a double with North Macedonia.

All eyes will be on Murat Yakin to see whether the nation’s head coach will afford Xhaka a rest, or whether Le Bris will have to sideline him for his return to Premier League action next month.

The Brian Brobbey show has arrived

Some fans may have been worried regarding a sluggish start to the season from Brobbey, considering the 24-year-old is widely viewed as the Black Cats’ main attacking output.

However, and worries about the centre-forward’s potential were quashed is style of Sunday, as the Amsterdam-born talent managed a hat-trick.

Brobbey was in flying form despite the result(Image: Getty Images)

Let’s not play down the significance of that feat either, by the way. Before Brobbey’s heroics this weekend, Jermain Defoe was the last man to score three goals in a single game for the Red and White Army in January 2016. That was against Swansea City, who – to no disrespect – aren’t quite the same level as the Sky Blues.

Let’s just hope that the Dutchman returns from the international break with the momentum he built on Sunday in Greater Manchester…

Sunderland on the front foot home and away

While a 5-3 loss is tough to stomach against anyone, there are plenty of positives to pick from Sunday’s loss to Manchester City.

Sunderland have consistently struggled to create and finish chances since their return to the English top flight a little over 12 months ago, but some would argue that Le Bris’ men looked far more dangerous than the eight-time Premier League champions on their turf.

Make no mistake, City ultimately walked away from the contest with all three points while Sunderland are forced to make the long trip back to Wearside empty-handed, but there should be no shame in the club’s efforts.

As seen against Arsenal just seven days ago, Sunderland have proven that they will roll over for absolutely nobody – home or away. Of course, defensive tweaks are certainly needed, and a pinball-like approach in Sunderland’s own box was undeniably the catalyst to the 5-3 loss this weekend.

However, Manchester City had to fight tooth and nail for the result, and if the Black Cats can put in a similar performance against anyone else in the league, then there will be no cause for concern in 2026/27.