Manchester City were back to their best in the 4-0 Capital One Cup win over Sunderland on Tuesday night and manager Manuel Pellegrini was thrilled with the performance.

Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were among the goalscorers for City whereas Black Cats goalkeeper Vito Mannone contributed to the scoreline with an own-goal before Ola Toivonen grabbed a consolation for the losers.

Of the performance, the Chilean said: "We played well - especially in the first half. Maybe in the second half, winning 4-0, we stopped our pace a little bit but I am pleased because we started this game after two disappointing defeats in the Champions League and Premier League.

"It was important to continue in this cup and it was important to try to win from the first minute. We scored four beautiful goals."