Manchester City v Sunderland: Match Postponed

The game tonight has become a victim of the increasing bad weather being experienced here in the UK.

The official announcement came about an hour before kick off with the decision being taken by Greater Manchester Police due to the unsafe conditions around the stadium:

Manchester City can confirm that this evening's fixture versus Sunderland has been postponed due to exceptional and escalating weather 1/3

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 12, 2014

2/3 conditions. The safety of those in around and travelling to the stadium complex cannot be guaranteed. This decision has been made by

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 12, 2014

3/3 the Safety Officer and Greater Manchester Police. Both managers and the match officials understand and support this decision

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 12, 2014

The postponement obviously means City miss the chance to go back to the top of the table tonight following Chelsea's draw last night at West Brom and allows both Arsenal and Liverpool (who both still play this evening) the chance to gain ground.

That said, and it does create a problem further down the line with City already having to fit a re-scheduled Manchester derby in due to the participation in the Capital One Cup final, it does probably benefit City in the short term as it does provide additional rest and the chance for players to recover ahead of the crucial pair of games against Chelsea and Barcelona over the next week.