Man City defeats Sunderland in Guardiola's debut

Today marked the beginning of the Pep era at the Etihad. The verdict? Not too shabby.

Manchester City came away 2-1 winners over Sunderland in Pep Guardiola's debut as their manager thanks to a late own goal.

The first half saw complete domination from the Citizens, and though some may have expected a windfall after Sergio Aguero's fourth minute penalty, the blue side of Manchester will have been content with their side's creativity during the first half, even if it did not yield further goals.

Sunderland enjoyed a five-minute spell of pressure at the end of the first half, in which Willy Caballero expertly denied Jermain Defoe from point-blank range. It was perhaps worrying that Sunderland were able to muster such a clear-cut opportunity despite being on the back foot for such a large majority of the first 45 minutes.

City came out looking a little rejuvenated but some stubborn defending from the Sunderland back-line set up a nervy finish going into the final quarter. Sure enough, City's fears were realised as Jermain Defoe broke free, thanks to a deft pass from Janujaz, and slotted the ball past a helpless Caballero.

The Citizens then went all-out for the win and were finally rewarded in the final moments of normal time. A debut disaster for Paddy McNair, who had only been on the pitch a few minutes, saw the ex-Manchester United defender nod the ball into his own net whilst challenging Delph in the air.

It was by no means a fairy-tale beginning to Guardiola's reign, but there's certainly some promise to build upon, in particular Nolito's first-half performance.