Sunderland remain deep in relegation trouble after Manchester City recorded a comfortable victory at a deserted Stadium of Light.

Goals from Marc-Vivien Foe, Sun Jihai and Shaun Goater handed City all three points as they continue their rise up the Premiership table with their fifth win in seven games.

Foe scored his first ever goal for City just before the break and the opener seemed to damage Sunderland's already fragile confidence.

Sun Jihai doubled the visitors' advantage in the second half, before Goater contributed a superb third late on to compound the Black Cats' misery.

Key incidents

36 mins: Bjorklund heads against his own post 44 mins: Foe puts Man City into the lead 62 mins: Sun Jihai doubles City's advantage 83 mins: Anelka misses from two yards out 87 mins: Goater scores a classy third

The poverty of Sunderland's performances so far this season meant that they went into the game without having scored in more than six-and-a-half hours of football.

But Sunderland manager Howard Wilkinson kept faith with his misfiring strike force of Tore Andre Flo and Kevin Phillips.

The pair have yet to form any kind understanding, which often resulted in Flo running into the same space as Phillips in a poor opening period.

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The latter did have two half-chances to add to his only goal of the current campaign.

However, he was first deceived by the flight of Kevin Kilbane's cross and then denied by some last-ditch City defending.

Michael Proctor spurned the hosts' best opportunity to end their goal drought, firing straight at City goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel from inside the area.

Not surprisingly, City played some pretty football but could not quite penetrate the Sunderland rearguard, who lost Jody Craddock in the pre-match warm-up to an ankle injury.

Just as the first half seemed set to end in stalemate, Foe chased Sun Jihai's free-kick.

He made the most of Jurgen Macho's hesitancy to lift the ball over the Sunderland keeper and stroke it into an empty net.

The same duo swapped roles for City's second goal. Foe surged forward and spotted Sun Jihai making a darting run into the Sunderland area.

Sun Jihai weighed in with City's second

Macho failed to deal with Foe's cut-back, spilling the ball at the feet of Sun Jihai who made no mistake to virtually end the game as a contest.

In an attempt to reduce the deficit, Wilkinson made a triple substitution, bringing on the exciting David Bellion.

And the pacy Frenchman just failed to connect with a corner which would surely have brought Sunderland a goal.

Bellion then fashioned another good chance, forcing a good save from Schmeichel.

City striker Goater applied the gloss to an impressive away performance, finishing a three-man move involving Nicolas Anelka and Eyal Berkovic with a crisp strike.

Sunderland: Macho, McCartney, Wright, Babb, Gray (Stewart 66), Bjorklund, Kilbane, Thirlwell, Proctor, Phillips (Bellion 66), Flo (Kyle 67).
Subs Not Used: Poom, Williams.

Man City: Schmeichel, Dunne, Jihai, Distin, Howey, Tiatto, Horlock, Berkovic, Foe, Anelka, Goater.
Subs Not Used: Nash, Benarbia, Huckerby, Wiekens, Jensen.

Booked: Tiatto, Jihai.

Attendance: 36,511

Referee: S Dunn (Avon).