Manchester City dropped two potentially vital points in the Barclays Premier League title race despite a rousing late fightback against Sunderland.
Mario Balotelli's second goal of the afternoon and a powerful Aleksandar Kolarov strike inside the last five minutes at the Etihad Stadium earned City a draw but it was not enough to take them back top.
Sunderland had powered into a 3-1 lead with two goals from Sebastian Larsson and a fine header from Nicklas Bendtner.
From that position, City would ordinarily have been pleased with a draw - which preserved their unbeaten home record - but arch-rivals Manchester United now have a huge advantage and could go five points clear on Monday.