Burnley vs Manchester City – Premier League: live score, lineups and update
At one point in the second half, Burnley seemed to be flagged offside while moving the ball away from the Manchester City goal. It was an illusion, of course. An impossibility. But it still seemed an appropriate image to take away from this sterile, soporific evening.
This was less a game of football or contest and more of a note in a diary. Just a fixture that took place to be recorded as a statistic.
Manchester City scored in the third minute and in doing so effectively won the game. Burnley did not have the wit to find a way back and as such did not register their first shot until beyond the hour mark, by which time they were two down.
Raheem Sterling celebrates his goal, which made it 2-0 to Manchester City in their victory away to Burnley at Turf Moor
City striker Gabriel Jesus expresses his delight after he put his side ahead after just three minutes in the clash v Burnley
Pep Guardiola’s side have now registered 13 consecutive victories across all competitions as they continue to impress
It may have been different with supporters inside Turf Moor. With this beloved old place standing forlornly empty in the rain, there was nobody here to tell the Burnley players that this wasn’t really enough, that football fans like a little bit more.
So City strolled to victory and remain top of the Premier League.
Ahead of their game at Liverpool on Sunday, this was the perfect preparation and their 13th straight win in all competitions. Pep Guardiola’s team are in imperious form and rather ominously look as though they have much more to give between now and May.
‘There is a lot of room [for improvement],’ said Guardiola afterwards.
‘I am not asking them for complicated things, just to do the simple things well.
‘But I am satisfied that we won. We were solid. We have different games ahead.’
Sterling slotted the ball into the back of the net, with the winger scoring in the league for the seventh time this season
Burnley manager Sean Dyche looks dejected after his side fell to a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City on Wednesday
Manchester City stars Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan celebrate after the final whistle blew and their victory was confirmed
The likes of Fernandinho and Phil Foden were not required to leave the warmth of the substitutes’ seats here. They can expect to feature at Anfield. Those who did play will have left the field at full-time with plenty left in reserve.
Guardiola is a fan of Burnley manager Sean Dyche and all that he has done at his club. Here he will have been grateful for a straight forward evening.
Burnley will also not be too disappointed. There was no damage to their goal difference ahead of games they will feel they have more chancing of winning, starting with Brighton here on Saturday.
If they win that then this will be forgotten. They are not the first team to take that approach and Dyche has earned the right to navigate through the season his own way. We should not forget Burnley’s recent win at Liverpool.
Even so, this was all rather tepid and the opening City goal pretty much set the tone. It was just terribly straight forward.
Before three minutes had even been played, City worked the ball left to Raheem Sterling and when he slid the ball inside to Bernardo Silva, the shot was well struck but straight at Nick Pope. The Burnley goalkeeper would have been wise to divert the ball wide or over but instead palmed it straight on to the head of Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian could not miss.
City usually win when Jesus scores and that never looked in any doubt here. City were able to play at their own pace as Burnley did not seem keen to press. Instead they largely sat deep and waited.
For a while, City were becalmed and didn’t create another clear chance until the 28th minute when Jesus saw his shot blocked by Ben Mee after Sterling found him.
They eventually doubled their lead six minutes later. This time the threat came down the right and when Ilkay Gundogan crossed low across the six yard box, Sterling was waiting to turn the ball in. It was another goal that looked as though it may have been prevented by some more urgent defending.
That felt as though it rather settled the outcome. Joao Cancelo shot straight at Pope four minutes before the interval before a rash of half chances marked the opening ten minutes or so of the second half.
Jesus attempts to push forward for City while he is being pursued by Burnley defender James Tarkowski at Turf Moor
Joao Cancelo frequently got into dangerous attacking areas for City as his side often caused problems for Burnley
Gundogan – the game’s best player – drove marginally over from 18 yards and then the German sent Sterling away with a super ball only for Pope to save with his left foot.
Pope was alive to danger again in the 54th minute as he dived to his right to palm away a Mahrez cross-shot. The goalkeeper couldn’t do much two minutes later when Mahrez turned in a low cross from Jesus but on this occasion he was saved by an offside flag, the scorer’s armpit appearing marginally the wrong wide of the imaginary line.
With an hour gone, Burnley had not managed a legitimate shot and that was a dismal thought. Four minutes later they at least put that statistic to bed, Matej Vydra controlling a dropping ball nicely on his chest and thumping a volley over the bar.
From that point on the game rather died. It had never exactly crackled with life anyway.
The strangest sight was that of City goalkeeper Ederson – unemployed all evening – charging from his goal to clatter in to Erik Pieters. The Brazilian was booked. The first of the night, the odds would have been rather long on that.
Dyche said afterwards: ‘It is difficult to win these games. I thought we did okay. But you can’t start the way we did. It was a poor goal. The second half I thought we did well but these teams can get away from you if you are not careful.’
Recap as Sportsmail’s JEORGE BIRD provided live coverage of the game.
