Phil Foden
and Riyad Mahrez both scored twice as Manchester City thrashed Burnley to
ensure Liverpool will have to wait a little longer to wrap up the Premier
League title.
Manchester
City’s Premier League champions may be nearing an end but they are determined
to make Liverpool wait.
Three
first-half goals saw City on their way to the most comfortable of wins at Etihad
Stadium, with Foden’s superb long-range strike breaking the deadlock before
Mahrez’s double just before the break.
The
Algerian’s fine solo effort made it 2-0 before he added another from the spot
after Ben Mee fouled Sergio Aguero, with the penalty being awarded by the video
assistant referee.
It was all
too easy for City against a Burnley side that did not name their full
complement of substitutes for their first game since the Premier League
restarted behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Foden played
a starring role in the rout, starting the move that saw Bernardo Silva tee up
David Silva to make it 4-0 soon after the break, and then adding a fifth
himself after Gabriel Jesus helped on a David Silva cross.
By then the
evening was a stroll for Pep Guardiola’s side, who are now 20 points behind the
leaders with eight league games remaining.
If the
defending champions had dropped points against the Clarets, a win for Liverpool
against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Wednesday would have seen them officially
take City’s crown.
Instead,
Jurgen Klopp’s side must beat the Eagles and then rely on City dropping points
against Chelsea on Thursday if they are to clinch the title before they visit
Etihad Stadium on 2 July.
Burnley
issued a statement during the game condemning the actions of those responsible
after a plane carrying a banner reading ‘White Lives Matter Burnley’ was flown
over the ground shortly after kick-off.
Both sets of
players had taken a knee before the game started in support of the Black Lives
Matter movement.
Burnley have
now lost 5-0 on their past three visits to Manchester City in all competitions,
but this defeat could have been even worse.
The Clarets
did not manage an effort at goal until Dwight McNeil lashed a free-kick into
the empty stand behind Ederson’s goal after 63 minutes, and that was the only
time they came close to threatening a reply.
There were
mitigating circumstances for Burnley boss Sean Dyche, however.
A trip to
this part of Manchester is hard enough without the contract issues and injuries
which meant he could not fill his bench in his side’s first game after their
enforced three-month break.
First-choice
strikers Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood were absent through injury, while Jeff
Hendrick, Aaron Lennon, Phil Bardsley, and former England goalkeeper Joe Hart
are all free agents from the end of June and were not considered for selection.
It meant
that, while City had players of the calibre of Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem
Sterling among their substitutes, the Clarets named two untried youngsters in
Max Thompson and Bobby Thomas, and two keepers – Lukas Jensen and Bailey
Peacock-Farrell – among their replacements.
Before their
season was stopped, Burnley were on a seven-game unbeaten run that had taken
them to the fringes of the race for Europe. Dyche’s mission now is to try to
regain some of that momentum in the next few weeks.
Burnley will
now host Watford on Thursday while Manchester City play Chelsea at Stamford
Bridge later the same evening (20:15).
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