It was a disappointing trip north for Manchester City, the Citizens suffering their first loss of the season at the Stadium of Light.
At Bitter and Blue, SB Nation's Manchester City blog, Danny Pugsley tries to provide perspective:
There is clearly no need for alarm bells at this stage, but dropped points in games such as this are costly - something that Vincent Kompany warned against ahead of the game - and the display was somewhat of a reminder that we are not as clinical or ruthless as needed to be genuine challengers. By that I don't necessarily mean turning the screw to notch up five or six goal victories, but coming away from places like the Stadium of Light with the three points as opposed to bemoaning being defeated by a late penalty.
There has to be a middle ground, right? Clearly, City is capable of more.
Speaking of more, you can get all the Manchester City coverage you need at Bitter and Blue.