Mignolet produced a series of stunning stops in the opening 25 minutes, when a breakthrough for City could easily have seen them coast to a comfortable victory.
Arsene Wenger is expected to come knocking on the door next week, but we will have to see what happens.
And then there is Danny Rose - a player the supporters would love to sign.
Admiration on the terraces for the England Under-21 left-back grows by the game and there were again chants of “Marty, sign him up” from the Stadium of Light yesterday.
The way Rose sprinted back to intercept James Milner in the second half, when City had released the ex-Newcastle winger with a ball over the top, only ingratiated him further into Wearside affection.
Sunderland will be without the ineligible Rose against parent club Spurs on Saturday and that is a significant blow for O’Neill.
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