It wasn’t a great game, but Manchester City won 1-0 at Turf Moor and moved to the top of the Premier League. The result saw title rivals Arsenal fall from the top of the table and Burnley relegated to the Championship.
Josep Guardiola’s side have led Arsenal in goals scored this season and have found the back of the net three more times this season, but they will head home disappointed that they were unable to build a bigger advantage on goal difference with 28 shots on goal.
City seized momentum in the title race with a thrilling win against Arsenal at the Etihad on Sunday. But here his team held out in the final seconds and Guardiola showed his frustration through an overwhelming and at times tense second half. His celebrations at full-time were filled with relief, but Erling Haaland insisted to Sky Sports that victory was what mattered.
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Erling Haaland’s cool finish puts Manchester City ahead against Burnley.
It was an inauspicious start for Burnley and Arsenal. Haaland charged in to open the scoring just five minutes later, and by then Rayan Cherki had already seen his shot hit the top of the bar. Haaland ended up hitting the woodwork himself late in the game as well.
However, the second goal failed to materialise, with Nico O’Reilly missing the best chance to add to the score in the dying seconds by missing from close range. City’s momentum fizzled out after a quick start and it wasn’t the full-throttle performance many had expected.
However, the victory means City are back in the top spot for the first time since the first week of the season and are in pole position to win the title with five games remaining.
In contrast, the result confirms that Burnley, who have won just one of their last 25 league games, will join Wolves in the second tier next season. They have scored a huge 100 points towards promotion from the Championship in 2024/25, but have not been able to cope with the step up.
It was a valiant effort, and if Jadon Anthony, Clindsey Hartman and Jeanne Fleming hadn’t missed their chance, they could have given the long-suffering home fans some cheer. But their fate has been clear for some time.
There is considerable uncertainty as to how City’s season will end.
Perhaps inspired by City’s flat display, Arsenal will play twice in the Premier League before City face Everton on Monday, May 4, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Mikel Arteta’s side will be hoping to regain momentum in the title race after having led for so long.
City’s attention immediately turns to Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Southampton at Wembley. With their place in the Carabao Cup already confirmed, City and Guardiola’s chances of winning the domestic treble again are diminishing, but they will need to rediscover their power and brilliance if they want this to be a special finale.
Guardiola: Why should I be annoyed?
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Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola reflected on the victory over Burnley, which secured them the top spot in the Premier League.
Man City manager Josep Guardiola told Sky Sports:
“The chances were there and we created a lot of chances. We played a great game. After a tough game three days ago, we did everything. So it was a tough game. It wasn’t easy. We missed some goals here. There’s no frustration. Why should we be frustrated? We’re at the top of the table now. There’s no frustration.”
“Of course we can do better and score goals. The players did everything perfectly, but we just didn’t score (more). Nothing was taken for granted. We did really well.”
Maybe your performance wasn’t as strong because you were tired on Sunday? “I totally disagree. We performed better in terms of chances, chances, chances than we did on Sunday. Of course, Arsenal’s opponent is extraordinary, we know that. The performance itself was really, really good.”
“Five games. There are five Premier League games. That’s the reality. We have a really tough semi-final on Saturday.
“It’s a big chance to play our fourth final in a row. We’ll see how tired we are. Otherwise it’s going to be a long time for the players, so we’ll probably have to make some changes. We were a little tired at the end, but we’re ready.”
Neville: “Man City need to play better or lose points”
Gary Neville from Sky Sports:
“It’s a win for Manchester City. But it’s the best win Arsenal could have hoped for. Zero.”
“It’s all about playing. Arsenal have a home game against Newcastle on Saturday where they can reaffirm their three-goal lead.
“That didn’t happen to Manchester City tonight, they have to play better or they will drop points.
“But Josep Guardiola knew he had to get the three points and he did it.
“It’s sad for Burnley. They’re a great football club. They can’t stay in the Premier League. They’re up and down. Up and down.”
Parker: We weren’t deadly enough.
Burnley head coach Scott Parker told Sky Sports:
“Overall, just this performance alone, I’m very proud of the team. The situation we were in, the level of challenge against a formidable team, losing a goal early on could have really derailed us.
“I thought it was all we talked about in terms of cohesion, spirit and certainly quality at times. We had our chances and tonight we didn’t take advantage of them. We’re going to have two or three chances and we need to be clinical. We had a few more than that.”
“The failure for us and the criticism against us was that we lacked the lethality you need against a team like Man City. But it was a team that really left everything on the pitch.”
Match story in statistics
what happens?
Man City will play Southampton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. The next Premier League match will be played at Everton on Monday 4th May.
Burnley will have the weekend off and travel to Leeds on Friday 1st May.
