Classic Times Fantasy Football is back. We got two great games for you to play and £100K to be won

Never go back, they say, although make an exception for a detour via Sunderland. Life after Chelsea no longer seems such a daunting proposition for Shaun Wright-Phillips, whose second spell at Manchester City began with two goals and a resounding away victory for his team. If the praise comes with a caveat, it is only that comebacks can rarely have been so gentle than at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

If Sunderland’s defending cannot be criticised, it is only because there was not any. A vivid, feisty confrontation and a fair reflection of the personalities of Roy Keane and Mark Hughes, the respective managers, degenerated from the moment that Stephen Ireland grasped the advantage in 45th minute. Keane’s players did not muster another worthwhile shot until the final moments, when David Healy fired straight at Joe Hart.

City faced extra time during their Uefa Cup exploits in Denmark on Thursday, while Sunderland, who did brush the bar through Pascal Chimbonda, played as if they were weighed down by jet lag. “It’s a bad day at the office for us, very bad,” Keane said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t happen for you and two or three players underperform. Today, I can’t think of a single one who has performed well.”

Now there are TWO ways to feed your fantasy

We have built on last year's success of PlayTheGame by offering fantasy football managers double the fun this coming season

Multimedia

• Chelsea: On-the-job training

• Man United: You've been merked, Capello

• Reading: Is Lita's yesterday's man?

Related Links

• Wright-Phillips re-signs for Manchester City

• Q&A: James Ducker

The officiating was poor, but Keane shunned the excuse. To put Wright-Phillips’s achievement in perspective, the England player scored four times in his three seasons at Stamford Bridge. “He was excellent,” Hughes said of his £9 million acquisition. “It always felt as though something would happen when he was on the ball.

“He’s a better player now and he’ll bring us a new threat. Maybe when you’re not playing week in, week out you doubt your own ability, but this should help him settle.”

Unfortunately for Sunderland, Keane’s latest signing was less involved. Anton Ferdinand was introduced to the Wearside crowd at half-time, which was a minute or two late as far as his new team were concerned. Danny Collins, whom Ferdinand is likely to replace, was at fault in the moments before Ireland’s straightforward goal, directing a cross by Michael Johnson handily into the midfield player’s path.

From Keane’s perspective, matters did not improve. In the 50th minute, a free kick from Dietmar Hamann was repelled, but indecisively, allowing Jô to shoot from the left side of the penalty area. If the striker’s aim was awry, Sunderland, who will be disappointed with a crowd of fewer than 40,000, did not capitalise. Wright-Phillips, unmarked at the far post, was presented with an easy opportunity to make a gilded return.

Acute embarrassment followed. Eight minutes later, a long-pass, pumped forward from the left by Michael Ball, found the feet of the most diminutive player on the pitch. The volleyed finish from Wright-Phillips was exquisite. Keane made three substitutions; if the rules permitted ten, he would have considered it. “Maybe the international break is good because I’ll be glad to see the back of one or two faces,” he said.

Sunderland (4-4-2): C Gordon 6 – P Chimbonda 5, N Nosworthy 4, D Collins 4, P Bardsley 5 – S Malbranque 6, G Leadbitter 4 (sub: D Murphy, 60min 4), A Reid 5, K Richardson 5 – E-H Diouf 4 (sub: D Healy, 60 6), D Cissé 5 (sub: A Stokes, 60 4). Substitutes not used: L Miller, D Ward, D Yorke, D Higginbotham. Booked: Bardsley, Healy, Richardson, Chimbonda. Next: Wigan (a).

Manchester City (4-5-1): J Hart 7 – V Corluka 7, M Richards 7 (sub: T Ben-Haim, 46 5), R Dunne 8, M Ball 6 – S Wright-Phillips 8 (sub: Elano, 85), D Hamann 7, V Kompany 8, M Johnson 6 (sub: G Fernandes, 81), S Ireland 6 – Jô 6. Substitutes not used: K Schmeichel, T Ben Haim, J Garrido, D Sturridge, C Evans. Booked: Richards, Kompany. Next: Chelsea (h).

Referee: C Foy Attendance: 39,622