THE biggest cheer that emanated from the sold-out away end at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday was not the result of Granit Xhaka’s shot that thudded against the post or Dan Ballard’s superb sliding block that prevented what looked like being a certain goal for Phil Foden.

No. Instead, it was in response to Regis Le Bris’ decision to take off Xhaka and Noah Sadiki in the 73rd minute of Sunderland’s 3-0 defeat to ensure the duo did not pick up the booking that would otherwise have ruled them out of Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby with Newcastle. All Premier League games are equal, but some are more equal than others. And when it comes to a first league meeting with Newcastle on Wearside since 2015, everything else quickly pales into relative insignificance.

“I wanted to finish the game,” insisted

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