2012/13 SUNDERLAND 1 MAN CITY 0
2. Simon Mignolet 7. Sebastian Larsson 78' 24. Carlos Cuellar 12. Matthew Kilgallon 3. Danny Rose 88' 8. Craig Gardner 23. James McClean 14. Jack Colback 21. Adam Johnson 28. Stephane Sessegnon 26. Steven Fletcher
Subs: 20. Keiren Westwood 2. Phil Bardsley 88' 9. Fraizer Campbell 78' 10. Connor Wickham 11. James McFadden 15. David Vaughan 19. Titus Bramble
Adam Johnson came back to haunt Manchester City as the champions slipped to a third successive 1-0 Barclays Premier League defeat at Sunderland.
The England winger, who was considered surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium during the summer and was allowed to join the Black Cats in a £10million move, embarrassed former team-mate Joe Hart with a dipping 53rd-minute strike which beat him at the near post and clinched three precious points for his new employers.
However, the winner was not without controversy with the visitors adamant they should have been awarded a free-kick for a foul on Pablo Zabaleta during the build-up.
Sunderland turned in one of their best displays of the season on a day when City played only fitfully, and Hart had to turn away Steven Fletcher's skidding effort and keep out Stephane Sessegnon 10 minutes from time.
However, if Johnson was the hero in front of a delighted Boxing Day crowd of 42,190, keeper Simon Mignolet deserved equal praise.
The Belgian denied Yaya Toure and David Silva before the break and Sergio Aguero after it to claim a precious clean sheet and make a huge contribution towards the win.
City arrived determined not to complete an unwanted hat-trick of 1-0 league defeats on Wearside and, after a lacklustre start, eased themselves into the game.
They might have been ahead with just eight minutes gone, but Vincent Kompany's header came back off the crossbar and Yaya Toure's goalbound follow-up was hacked away by Mignolet, who reacted instantly to deny the visitors an early lead.
Silva curled a 10th-minute free-kick wastefully over the bat and Toure saw a curling effort plucked from underneath the crossbar by Mignolet three minutes later.
City were pinning Sunderland deep inside their own half and it seemed only a matter of time before they made the pressure tell.
Mignolet had to be at his best once again with 24 minutes gone after Carlos Tevez and Aguero combined to put Silva in on goal, only for Mignolet to block his effort at close range.
But seconds later Hart had to dive to his right to turn away Fletcher's rasping left-foot drive and the Black Cats, buoyed after weathering the early storm, started to force their way into the game.
Johnson was enjoying the better of his individual battle with Zabaleta, who played much of the half with a heavily bandaged head after suffering a cut, and as James McClean took up the theme, Martin O'Neill's men upped their tempo.
Kompany and Matija Nastasic had to repel dangerous crosses from Sebastian Larsson and McClean respectively, and Sessegnon flashed a header well wide from Craig Gardner's driven 42nd-minute cross.
Larsson drilled a late free-kick straight into the defensive wall, but he and his team-mates left the pitch at the break with their clean sheet intact and everything still to play for.
Sunderland picked up where they had left off after the restart as McClean and Johnson, with the help of Sessegnon and Fletcher, stretched City uncomfortably at times. It was they who took the lead with eight minutes of the half played.
City boss Roberto Mancini and Zabaleta were left appealing in vain for a free-kick for Gardner's challenge on the full-back, but Johnson picked up possession and cut inside before blasting in a dipping shot which caught Hart flat-footed at his near post and squirmed into the bottom corner.
Sessegnon might have doubled his side's advantage within two minutes, but pulled his effort across the face of goal with City in disarray.
The visitors were almost breached once again on the hour when McClean picked out Sessegnon in front of goal, but the Benin international could not take the ball in his stride.
Kompany, who had already been booked, was fortunate to escape a second yellow card for a block on McClean as City struggled to contain a Black Cats side growing in confidence by the minute.
But the visitors gradually regained their composure and started to move the ball confidently once again and Mignolet had to claim a 68th-minute Zabaleta cross at his near post after being played in by James Milner.
The Belgium international excelled himself once again two minutes later to deny Aguero one on one, but it was Hart in the firing line with 10 minutes remaining when Sessegnon was played in by substitute Fraizer Campbell with the keeper coming out on top.
City battered away at their hosts as time ran down, but with Sunderland defending deep and with tenacity, they simply could not find a way through and McClean almost served up the perfect finish with an 88th-minute shot which flew just wide.
BLACK CATS v CITY
2012/2013 Wed 26 Dec Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City Premier League
Sat 06 Oct Man. City 3 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
2011/2012 Sat 31 Mar Man. City 3 - 3 Sunderland Premier League
Sun 01 Jan Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City Premier League
2010/2011 Sun 03 Apr Man. City 5 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
Sun 29 Aug Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City Premier League
2009/2010 Sun 14 Mar Sunderland 1 - 1 Man. City Premier League
Sat 19 Dec Man. City 4 - 3 Sunderland Premier League
2008/2009 Sun 22 Mar Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
Sun 31 Aug Sunderland 0 - 3 Man. City Premier League
2007/2008 Sat 12 Apr Sunderland 1 - 2 Man. City Premier League
Mon 05 Nov Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland Premier League
2005/2006 Sun 05 Mar Man. City 2 - 1 Sunderland Premiership
Tue 23 Aug Sunderland 1 - 2 Man. City Premiership
2002/2003 Mon 21 Apr Man. City 3 - 0 Sunderland Premiership
Mon 09 Dec Sunderland 0 - 3 Man. City Premiership
2000/2001 Sat 23 Dec Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City Premiership
Wed 23 Aug Man. City 4 - 2 Sunderland Premiership
1997/1998 Sat 17 Jan Man. City 0 - 1 Sunderland League Division One
Fri 15 Aug Sunderland 3 - 1 Man. City League Division One
1990/1991 Sat 11 May Man. City 3 - 2 Sunderland First Division
Sat 03 Nov Sunderland 1 - 1 Man. City First Division
1988/1989 Tue 14 Mar Sunderland 2 - 4 Man. City Second Division
Sat 29 Oct Man. City 1 - 1 Sunderland Second Division
1982/1983 Sat 26 Feb Sunderland 3 - 2 Man. City First Division
Sat 16 Oct Man. City 2 - 2 Sunderland First Division
1981/1982 Sat 15 May Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City First Division
Sat 19 Dec Man. City 2 - 3 Sunderland First Division
1980/1981 Wed 12 Nov Sunderland 2 - 0 Man. City First Division
Wed 20 Aug Man. City 0 - 4 Sunderland First Division
1976/1977 Wed 09 Mar Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 18 Sep Sunderland 0 - 2 Man. City First Division
1969/1970 Sat 04 Apr Man. City 0 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Wed 27 Aug Sunderland 0 - 4 Man. City First Division
1968/1969 Sat 12 Apr Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 21 Sep Sunderland 0 - 4 Man. City First Division
1967/1968 Sat 24 Feb Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 07 Oct Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City First Division
1966/1967 Sat 31 Dec Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City First Division
Sat 27 Aug Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
1963/1964 Sat 18 Jan Man. City 0 - 3 Sunderland Second Division
Sat 14 Sep Sunderland 2 - 0 Man. City Second Division
1957/1958 Sat 12 Apr Man. City 3 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 30 Nov Sunderland 2 - 1 Man. City First Division
1956/1957 Sat 12 Jan Sunderland 1 - 1 Man. City First Division
Sat 08 Sep Man. City 3 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1955/1956 Mon 02 Apr Man. City 4 - 2 Sunderland First Division
Fri 30 Mar Sunderland 0 - 3 Man. City First Division
1954/1955 Sat 09 Apr Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 04 Dec Sunderland 3 - 2 Man. City First Division
1953/1954 Sat 02 Jan Man. City 2 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 29 Aug Sunderland 4 - 5 Man. City First Division
1952/1953 Sat 21 Mar Sunderland 3 - 3 Man. City First Division
Sat 01 Nov Man. City 2 - 5 Sunderland First Division
1951/1952 Sat 22 Dec Man. City 3 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 25 Aug Sunderland 3 - 0 Man. City First Division
1949/1950 Sat 15 Apr Sunderland 1 - 2 Man. City First Division
Sat 29 Oct Man. City 2 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1948/1949 Sat 16 Apr Man. City 1 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 23 Oct Sunderland 3 - 0 Man. City First Division
1947/1948 Sat 17 Jan Sunderland 0 - 1 Man. City First Division
Sat 06 Sep Man. City 3 - 0 Sunderland First Division
1937/1938 Wed 02 Feb Man. City 0 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 11 Sep Sunderland 3 - 1 Man. City First Division
1936/1937 Wed 14 Apr Sunderland 1 - 3 Man. City First Division
Sat 31 Oct Man. City 2 - 4 Sunderland First Division
1935/1936 Sat 04 Jan Man. City 0 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 07 Sep Sunderland 2 - 0 Man. City First Division
1934/1935 Wed 10 Apr Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 10 Nov Sunderland 3 - 2 Man. City First Division
1933/1934 Wed 11 Apr Sunderland 0 - 0 Man. City First Division
Sat 04 Nov Man. City 4 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1932/1933 Sat 31 Dec Man. City 2 - 4 Sunderland First Division
Sat 27 Aug Sunderland 3 - 2 Man. City First Division
1931/1932 Sat 02 Jan Sunderland 2 - 5 Man. City First Division
Sat 29 Aug Man. City 1 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1930/1931 Sat 27 Dec Man. City 2 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 30 Aug Sunderland 3 - 3 Man. City First Division
1929/1930 Sat 04 Jan Man. City 2 - 2 Sunderland First Division
Sat 07 Sep Sunderland 5 - 2 Man. City First Division
1928/1929 Sat 16 Feb Sunderland 3 - 1 Man. City First Division
Sat 06 Oct Man. City 5 - 3 Sunderland First Division
1925/1926 Sat 13 Feb Sunderland 5 - 3 Man. City First Division
Sat 03 Oct Man. City 4 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1924/1925 Sat 21 Mar Man. City 1 - 3 Sunderland First Division
Sat 15 Nov Sunderland 3 - 2 Man. City First Division
1923/1924 Sat 29 Sep Sunderland 5 - 2 Man. City First Division
Sat 22 Sep Man. City 4 - 1 Sunderland First Division
1922/1923 Mon 02 Apr Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Fri 30 Mar Sunderland 2 - 0 Man. City First Division
1921/1922 Sat 14 Jan Sunderland 2 - 3 Man. City First Division
Sat 31 Dec Man. City 3 - 0 Sunderland First Division
1920/1921 Sat 01 Jan Man. City 3 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 18 Dec Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City First Division
1919/1920 Sat 27 Dec Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 20 Dec Sunderland 2 - 1 Man. City First Division
1914/1915 Sat 06 Mar Man. City 2 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 31 Oct Sunderland 0 - 2 Man. City First Division
1913/1914 Wed 18 Mar Man. City 3 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 18 Oct Sunderland 0 - 0 Man. City First Division
1912/1913 Sat 22 Mar Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City First Division
Sat 16 Nov Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
1911/1912 Sat 30 Mar Man. City 2 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Sat 25 Nov Sunderland 1 - 1 Man. City First Division
1910/1911 Sat 25 Feb Sunderland 4 - 0 Man. City First Division
Sat 22 Oct Man. City 3 - 3 Sunderland First Division
1908/1909 Fri 09 Apr Sunderland 2 - 0 Man. City First Division
Tue 01 Sep Man. City 1 - 0 Sunderland First Division
1907/1908 Sat 14 Sep Man. City 0 - 0 Sunderland First Division
Mon 02 Sep Sunderland 2 - 5 Man. City First Division
1906/1907 Sat 27 Apr Man. City 2 - 3 Sunderland First Division
Sat 22 Dec Sunderland 1 - 1 Man. City First Division
1905/1906 Sat 21 Apr Man. City 5 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 16 Dec Sunderland 2 - 0 Man. City First Division
1904/1905 Sat 01 Apr Sunderland 0 - 0 Man. City First Division
Sat 03 Dec Man. City 5 - 2 Sunderland First Division
1903/1904 Sat 02 Apr Man. City 2 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 05 Dec Sunderland 1 - 1 Man. City First Division
1901/1902 Sat 04 Jan Man. City 0 - 3 Sunderland First Division
Sat 07 Sep Sunderland 1 - 0 Man. City First Division
1900/1901 Tue 25 Dec Man. City 1 - 1 Sunderland First Division
Sat 20 Oct Sunderland 3 - 0 Man. City First Division
1899/1900 Sat 14 Apr Sunderland 3 - 1 Man. City First Division
Sat 09 Dec Man. City 2 - 1 Sunderland First Division