An early goal from Aleksandar Kolarov has given Manchester City a 1-0 lead over Sunderland at half-time of their Premier League match this afternoon.

The champions took the lead within four minutes when Kolarov fired in a fine free kick after Carlos Tevez was hauled down on the edge of the box by Carlos Cuellar.

Sunderland almost responded after 11 minutes when Adam Johnson's free kick was only half cleared, but Stephane Sessegnon blazed his resulting snap shot over the bar.

City had two chances within a matter of seconds to double their lead when Pablo Zabaleta's close-range effort was saved by Simon Mignolet before Tevez dragged the rebound wide.

As it stands, City would move into second place in the Premier League table, although they would have played a game more than their rivals.