A solitary Isobel Christiansen header on 32 minutes proved enough to separate the sides at the Academy Stadium, as the Blues extended their incredible unbeaten run to 12 - two draws and ten victories.
In a hard-fought contest, the hosts battled to dig out the three points, which lifts them to second and ensures they stay five points behind Chelsea Ladies with a game in hand.
Reflecting on the triumph, skipper Steph Houghton told mcfc.co.uk: “It was a massive win. The objective was to get three points and we’ve done that. Maybe we didn’t perform at our best but we ground out a result and I think everyone saw a different side to us.
“Credit to Sunderland, they came and put 11 players behind the ball and we found it difficult at times but we created a lot of opportunities and we can take heart from the way we defended because everyone put their body on the line and worked really hard.
“It’s important that we keep the run going. We’ve got a big game against Liverpool on Thursday - we performed really well against them in the last game and hopefully, we can do that again.
“We just need to focus on the next game now. It’s vitally important we stick together as a group because that’s what good teams are all about.”
The clash marked the final WSL 1 game of the weekend and meant both sides headed into it aware of other results. With Chelsea having extended their lead at the top of the table with a 2-1 win over Notts County Ladies earlier in the day, a win was imperative in this encounter to keep the title race alive.
Nick Cushing was forced to make two changes from the side that despatched Liverpool Ladies in the Continental Cup last weekend as Lucy Bronze and Toni Duggan were forced to miss out, though the former was named on the bench. Nikita Parris was also unavailable.
Replacing the England duo were last week’s 2-0 win at Everton Ladies.
There was brighter news for the Blues though as Natasha Harding made her return from injury, having played just 15 minutes since the mid-season break.
Possibly affected by the long wait for the game - and the Chelsea result - both sides started a little nervously. Sunderland carved out the first chance of the evening as Brooke Chaplen drilled goalward but Karen Bardsley was down well to make the stop.
The first half overall was fairly even with both sides creating decent chances to break the deadlock. Houghton was unfortunate to see her header bounce just wide from Christiansen’s delivery, while Christiansen and Stanway both tried their luck but found their efforts lacked the power and accuracy to trouble Rachael Laws.
At the other end, Bardsley was called into action once more, diving well to her near-post to deny Abbey Joice before Houghton produced an excellent last-ditch challenge to prevent Chaplen a clear route to goal.
In an impressive defensive display, McManus, Jill Scott, Jennifer Beattie, Demi Stokes and Keira Walsh also did well to halt the first signs of a visitors’ attack, limiting the away side to long-range efforts and half-chances.
After Chaplen had tested Bardsley once again from distance, City took the lead somewhat against the run of play.
It was the in-form Christiansen who netted it. In a goal similar to the one she scored in the 2014 Continental Cup final, the midfielder rose to connect perfectly with Krystle Johnston’s excellent delivery and head into the bottom corner to give the Blues a half-time lead. A goal of quality, the strike was the 23-year-old’s fifth of the season.
The second half began much as it had ended - with both sides enjoying spells of possession.
Christiansen was unlucky not to net her second of the night when her shot was blocked, before Bardsley dived in bravely at the other end to prevent Chaplen from netting an equaliser. The dangerous Beth Mead was also thwarted by the England shot-stopper.
Johnston then had two attempts well-saved by Laws in the Sunderland goal before the home side opted to play keep-ball to be safe of the points.
It was a battling performance by Cushing’s side, who stay hot on the heels of the league leaders. Next up, it’s Liverpool at home on Thursday evening at 7pm.
