As it happened: Burnley 0-2 Manchester City

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Manchester City never looked like losing control of the match, giving the impression of champions. Their defensive improvement over the course of this season has been very impressive. They might have lost a small amount in terms of attacking but the strides that they have made at the back certainly balance that out. 

Burnley have had two tough matches in a row and they will be eager to get back to winning ways against Brighton & Hove Albion, on Saturday afternoon. 

City are three points clear at the top, with a game in-hand over 2nd-placed Manchester United. 

Burnley remain seven points above the relegation zone after Fulham fell to a 2-0 defeat against Leicester City. 

Burnley: Pope 7; Lowton 6, Tarkowski 7, Mee 6, Pieters 5; Gudmundsson 6, Cork 6, Westwood 5, McNeil 5; Rodriguez 5, Vydra 6. 

Subs: Mumbongo 6, Stephens n/a, Benson n/a.

Manchester City: Ederson 6; Cancelo 7, Stones 7, Dias 6, Laporte 7; Rodri 7; Gundogan 8, Bernardo 7; Mahrez 7, Jesus 7, Sterling 7. 

Subs: Zinchenko 6. 

And that's that. City were ruthless and Burnley were toothless. Toothless is a little harsh. Very few teams cannot lay a glove on this defensive solid outfit. It was pretty much what most people would have expected. 

City had 75% of the ball and Burnley couldn't muster a shot on target. These games won't define Burnley's top flight status. 

In the other camp, Guardiola will now be determined to carry this momentum into their huge match with Liverpool at Anfield.

90+2: Mumbongo does well to win a free-kick on halfway but the free-kick amounts to little. He has worked hard since coming on but the youngster has had little to work with.

90+1: Three minutes of added-time have been announced. City just looking to manage the final moments. 

90: Gundogan finds Sterling in a good position but his strike is straight at Pope. 

88: Gudmundsson has a crack from 35-yards but its miles wide. Still, it's a shot!

87: Mumbongo chases down Stones but he catches the England defender a little late. Atkinson brandishes the card. A little harsh, perhaps. 

83: Stephens loses Mahrez and he clips the tricky City man. Easy decision for the referee. 

81: Westwood off for Benson. Burnley now have three academy talents on the pitch: McNeil, Mumbongo and Benson. Trust in youth!

80: Wayward kick from Pope presents City with a chance but Bernardo loses the ball after receiving a pass from Mahrez. 

78: Mumbongo is on for another cameo appearance. Rodriguez departs. 

76: Ederson sweeps up the danger to prevent Vydra running clear but he is taken by surprise when Pieters robs the ball from him. The keeper brings Pieters down and gets a yellow card. Slightly fortunate that the incident was a long way from goal!

72: Stephens in on for Cork. Dyche trying to rest some legs?

70: Gundogan has been exceptional and his brilliant touch sets the ball to Jesus. He looks destined to score but Tarkowski blocks his shot and then the Burnley defender actually clips his leg as the Brazilian prepared to shoot again. It should be a penalty, but it's not. Surprised VAR wasn't involved in that! 

69: City are only two ahead but they exhume control over all proceedings. From defence to attack, they look like legitimate title contenders. 

66: Gundogan shifts past two Burnley challenges and Rodri's eventual shot is blocked behind for a corner. 

65: Cancelo off and Zinchenko is on. Perhaps an eye on their match against Liverpool at the weekend. 

64: Vydra lashes a volley over after finding some space in-behind. Half-chance for the forward.

63: Stones released Gundogan who unselfishly tried to set the ball to Sterling but the winger seemed to trip up over the ball. 

61: Mahrez pounces on a loose ball but his strike is well blocked by Cork.

60: Burnley steal possession again but they simply take too long on the ball. City get back and the chance quickly disappears. 

58: Vydra does well to win the ball high-up the pitch but, after recycling possession, he received the ball again in an offside position. He can't seem to get much right, no matter how hard he tries!

57: Mahrez thinks he has his token goal against Burnley, prodding home Jesus' cross from close range. However, the linesman's flag is up for offside. After VAR inspection, the initial decision stands. 

55: Mahrez curled a teasing ball to the back-post but Pope was quick to react and palm the cross to safety. 

51: Sterling was almost in again, racing onto a floated pass, but Pope was alive to the situation and mopped up the danger. 

50: Sterling is in on goal after a fantastic pass from Gundogan. He opens up his body but Pope manages to stick out a foot and block his effort. 

48: Gundogan lashes a long-range striker narrowly over the bar. It comes after Mahrez found room but his effort towards goal was blocked. 

46: We're back underway! 

Burnley will need a comeback-and-a-half if they are to get anything from this clash. Dyche's men are not accustomed to chasing games against anyone, let alone City. However, they were behind in a recent match against Aston Villa and they went on to win 3-2. Happier omens!

Burnley have registered just one effort on goal in their last 146 minutes of football, that was a wayward James Tarkowski header against Chelsea. Again, partial credit for Sky Sports!  

 

There has been a lot of criticism for Pope's role in the first goal. It wasn't the best parry from Bernardo Silva's shot but the goalkeeper was a little unfortunate. The strike was hit with venom and the ricochet was kind for City. Of course, he should have tried to push it behind but sometimes it's just not your day. 

City dominant. Burnley had held their own relatively well, after falling behind to the early Jesus goal. But the visitors upped the tempo later in the half and Sterling finished off an excellent passing move to double his team's lead. 

45: Vydra cannot get a loose ball under control and the ball ricochets out of play. He has struggled. In fairness, everyone in claret and blue has struggled!

43: Tarkowski was on the receiving end of a flailing Laporte arm. It's unlikely that there was any malice from the Frenchman, though, and play continues. The Burnley defender is okay.

40: Vydra missed a one-versus-one but he would have been offside anyway. At the other end, City broke but Cancelo could only fire into the arms of Pope after being teed-up in the centre of the box. Big chance to make it three! 

38: Brilliant City goal! Pieters and McNeil went to double-up on Mahrez but the winger played a neat pass inside to the under-lapping Gundogan. Gundogan fired the ball across the box and Sterling had the simple task of finishing the ball from point-blank range. 

37: Dyche will be happy with how this half has gone. After the early Jesus goal, he might have feared the worst. But City have only registered two shots on target and they aren't cutting through the Burnley defence. 

34: City pinning Burnley back into their own 18-yard box. Pass, pass, pass. In the end, Cancelo's fast delivery is straight into Pope's arms. 

30: It was patient City build-up before Rodri whipped a stunning cross into the box. Unfortunately for him, there was no City head on the end of it. 

28: Sterling picked Mahrez out in acres of space in the box. The Algerian shifted the ball onto his right foot but his shot was blocked by a combination of three Burnley shirts. Claret and blue wall! 

24: A sloppy giveaway from Dias gives McNeil the opportunity to make a progressive run forward but he is closed down by several City shirts and the chance amounts to nothing. 

21: McNeil's deep free-kick is easily cleared by City. Ball is back in the Burnley half with the visitors looking to mount another attack.

19: The Burnley corner came to nothing and City almost made it two. Westwood misjudged a high ball and Sterling latched onto it. Pope was in no-mans land, outside of the 18-yard box, but the Burnley keeper managed to tackle Sterling in a legal manner. Great chance for the visitors! 

18: Vydra worked hard to win a corner for the Clarets. Rare chance to threaten City's defence.

 

16: Vydra played a neat lay-off to Westwood but Burnley can't work the counter-attack opportunity quickly enough. City still with the majority of the ball. 

12: Ederson shanked his clearance after a bit of pressure from the Burnley forwards. The hosts will take a few more of those!

10: City dominating possession and looking very confident. Burnley chasing shadows but they aren't collapsing from a defensive standpoint. 

7: Mahrez latches onto Gundogan's floated pass but Pope covers his near-post and blocks the shot. Replays suggest that Mahrez may have been offside. 

3: What a start for City! Sterling finds Bernardo Silva in the box and the midfielder gets off an early shot. Pope parries the ball but Jesus is on-hand to nod the rebound into an empty net. 

2: Early signs are that City are setting up in a back-three, as I had speculated. One imagines that the formation will be fluid.

1: And we're off! Martin Atkinson is the referee.

A wonderful man with a wonderful heart. The players and staff applaud to show their respect to Sir Tom. 

Raheem Sterling dons the armband. He has come along way during his time in Manchester. 

Matej Vydra was hooked off before the hour against Chelsea, but he has another opportunity to prove himself after the injury to Chris Wood. 

Unfortunately for him, he is taking on the meanest defence in the division! 

Aymeric Laporte has been brilliant since arriving at City. However, injuries have contributed to his patchy form over 2020 and Guardiola had dropped him from the team. 

With Stones revitalised and Ruben Dias practically untouchable, it will be tough for Laporte to find his way back into the team on a regular basis. Tonight, it looks as though he will be slotting in at left-back. 

Nonetheless, Laporte is a mobile operator and it will be tough for Gudmundsson to create anything down that flank. It also gives City the option to switch to a back-three in the middle of the game, if needed. 

 

Pep Guardiola's team could be the first team to win 13 consecutive matches in all competitions, if they beat Burnley tonight. I'll credit Sky Sports with that one! 

Yesterday's Premier League football was absolutely crazy!

There was a 9-0, three red cards, VAR controversy and goals across all of the matches. 

Will the match at Turf Moor feed us similar levels of entertainment? 

The aforementioned tweet from Tariq Panja had left Burnley fans a little concerned. There has been very little in response from Alan Pace and company but many believe that the American has the best interests of the club at heart. Here's hoping that he does! 

 

 

In their past 12 matches, Burnley have one draw and eleven defeats against Man City. The Clarets do fare slightly better against the Citizens at Turf Moor, but that's only because the Etihad is their nightmare ground! It will be a tough ask for them to surprise the pace setters.

Riyad Mahrez loves to face Burnley. Just last December, he fired home a hat-trick in a 5-0 City win. Erik Pieters will have to be on his guard to keep the Algerian quiet. 

Burnley have made two changes from their team that started against Chelsea. One of them was enforced, with Jay Rodriguez replacing the injured Chris Wood. Robbie Brady has also made way for Johann Berg Gudmundsson. 

Manchester City have brought in a number of stars who were rested in their win against Sheffield United. Joao Cancelo, John Stones, Rodrigo Hernandez, Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling are all back in the fold. 

Burnley: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; Gudmundsson, Cork, Westwood, McNeil; Rodriguez, Vydra. 

Subs: Peacock-Farrell, Stephens, Bardsley, Long, Dunne, Benson, Driscoll-Glennon, Mumbongo, Nartey. 

 

Manchester City: Ederson, Cancelo, Dias, Stones, Laporte; Rodri; Gundogan, Bernardo; Sterling, Jesus, Mahrez. 

Subs: Steffen, Walker, Zinchenko, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Foden, Garcia, Gomes. 

The starting elevens are coming up in less than ten minutes. Will we see another episode of "Pep roulette"? Let's wait and see! 

If you want to watch the game on TV, it will be broadcast on BT Sport. 

If you want to follow online, VAVEL is your best option!

The game is being played at 18.00 BST.

"I always think before playing against Burnley that it will never be easy, especially away. They have played together for the same manager for a long time."

"We are used to all these challenges. We often talk about these big clubs but every game in the Premier League is tough. You face a big challenge every single game. We are open-minded about these challenges that come with being involved in this level of professional sport."

Burnley: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Pieters; Gudmundsson, Cork, Westwood, Brady; McNeil; Rodriguez. 

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Stones, Dias, Cancelo; Rodri; Gundogan, Bernardo; Mahrez, Foden, Sterling. 

Sergio Aguero has recovered from coronavirus but whether he will feature remains to be seen. 

Kevin de Bruyne is still on the sidelines with Nathan Ake also out injured.

Guardiola is expected to bring in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Joao Cancelo after they were rested in the weekend win over Sheffield United. 

Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood both have knocks and will need late assessments. 

Charlie Taylor is working hard to overcome his thigh strain but he's unlikely to be risked against City. It's a similar story for Josh Brownhill, who has an ankle strain. 

Pep Guardiola has taken the Premier League by the scruff of the neck and his team are now well placed to take back the title. The Citizens have won their last 12 matches in all competitions, eight of those being in the Premier League, whilst racking up nine clean sheets in the process. 

City do have a harder time getting past Burnley at Turf Moor than they do at the Etihad. However, anything but a win will be seen as a missed opportunity to push further ahead in the title race. 

The Clarets had racked up consecutive wins against Liverpool, Fulham and Aston Villa, but they fell short against an impressive Chelsea team.

Sean Dyche's men looked a little tired and the Burnley manager will be hoping to get that loss out of his system. Unfortunately for them, this next hurdle is a tough one to leap over.

Welcome to VAVEL UK's LIVE coverage of the 2020/21 Premier League match: Burnley vs Manchester City!

My name is Jonny Bentley and I'll be your host for this game.

We will provide you with pre-match analysis, squad updates and news as it happens live here on VAVEL.com.