Burnley 0-1 Man City: Pep’s men march towards title

The aim of the game for Burnley today was to spoil the party, and in coalition with that, celebrate the fact that they’ll be playing Premier League football again next season. For large periods of the game it certainly seemed like they were in with a fairly decent chance of frustrating Manchester City, but in the end, the reigning champions of England were able to persevere and take another step closer to defending their title.

A positive start

Burnley’s defensive style can be enough to smother even the best of teams, and at stages of this game, that was exactly what was happening. City were quite clearly the more dominant side but they just weren’t able to register any real attacks of significance. The Clarets also came forward from time to time with their own attacks, but for the most part, the best way to describe how they were performing is ‘comfortable’.

Then, half way through the first 45 minutes, a potentially crucial moment came and passed the home side by. Chris Wood was seemingly put through on goal, but the big striker was unable to get his feet out from underneath him and wound up blowing the opportunity. Perhaps if it’d gone in then it would have been a different story, but thankfully for the Kiwi, his side’s safety didn’t depend on it.

Grinding it out

As we approached the hour mark more and more Liverpool fans would’ve been getting cautiously excited about the prospect of City dropping points, but in the end, it wasn’t to be. That man Sergio Aguero was at the forefront of the one and only goal of the game, with his effort seemingly being cleared off the line. The replays of the goal-line technology proved otherwise, and City wound up riding out the lead to pick up three points that will send them back to the top of the table.

Burnley will now turn their attention towards a game against Everton on Friday, which doesn’t really hold all too much meaning. On the other hand, Man City will have time to reflect on this game before they face Leicester on Monday Night Football in eight days time.

Match Report

Burnley: Heaton (7.5), Taylor (6), Mee (7), Tarkowski (7.5), Lowton (7), McNeil (6.5), Cork (6), Westwood (6.5), Hendrick (6), Wood (5.5), Barnes (7), Gudmundsson (6), Vydra (6)

Manchester City: Ederson (6.5), Walker (7), Kompany (7.5), Laporte (8), Gundogan (7), Zinchenko (8), Sterling (7), B.Silva (7.5), D.Silva (7), Sane (6.5), Aguero (8), Stones (6.5), Jesus (6.5), Otamendi (6)

Referee: Paul Tierney

Goals: Aguero

Yellow Cards: Lowton, Gundogan

Red Cards: N/A