With its lightning ball-recycling that swept play left to right and then back into the area for a second Maxime Estève own goal, Manchester City’s third was a picture of their dominance under Pep Guardiola before last season’s decline.
Jérémy Doku raced inside from the left and found Phil Foden, whose instant turn-and-pass to Matheus Nunes scattered Burnley. The right-back’s cross was smacked in at velocity and Oscar Bobb’s attempt rebounded off Estève and past Martin Dubravka.
The 65th-minute strike left Guardiola hugging Pep Lijnders, his assistant, and will surely be pointed to by the manager as the blueprint City need to consistently call upon. Until this, his team had been ponderous, lacking the slickness that befuddles most foes.
Guardiola said: “We started the game really well, but after we dropped [off]. In the second half we found the goals and it was much better in the last 20 minutes.”
Scott Parker’s disappointment reflected this, too. “5-1 does feel harsh – for 70 minutes we were right in this game and we caused City some problems,” said Burnley’s manager.
City kicked off holding a 12-1 aggregate lead from the past three meetings and inside 15 minutes it became 13-1. Doku’s fine early-season form continued as he burst in from the left and shot; Dubravka palmed the ball straight to Foden, whose hit, at close range, pinged off Estève for his first own goal of an unfortunate outing.
With Rodri unavailable – Guardiola said the midfielder told him on Friday he was not fit enough to play, with pain in a knee – Nico González deputised, and one effort from him was deflected for a corner he flicked on for Erling Haaland, who marginally missed his connection. It came after another Doku thrust down the left was followed with a sharp shot the busy Dubravka repelled.
After a Friday eulogy about the returning Kyle Walker, Guardiola’s programme notes did not mention the former captain, who left on loan for Milan in January before summer’s permanent move to the Clarets. If this was a mere oversight, there was 20-20 vision from Foden when racing back to defend: from the left, Lyle Foster ran in and passed to Josh Laurent, and when he shot Foden was a barrier who blocked.
They required a similar act from Rúben Dias when Quilindschy Hartman received on the left and crossed. But, caught square, Dias failed. Jaidon Anthony blazed at goal, the ball knocked the inside of the defender’s right ankle and Gianluigi Donnarumma was beaten.
after newsletter promotion
What a fillip for Burnley as the interval approached. It again exposed a soft City core that has opponents sniffing blood when attacking. At play is, partly, the loosening of his team’s former stranglehold – a corollary of Rodri’s absence; both here and for most of the past year. Another factor is the rearguard’s paucity of pace – Walker’s speed is a serious miss.
As documented in City’s All or Nothing Amazon series, Guardiola has form for delivering impassioned team talks. If one was delivered at half-time he still had to watch Foster threaten to give Burnley the lead, the attempt hitting Nunes.
When Tijjani Reijnders had a shot at the other end it followed precise Doku-González interplay; the midfielder sprayed wide, but City’s next foray yielded gold. Haaland, falling back, nodded across the area for Nunes to smash in to provoke joy – and relief – in sky blue ranks.
City finally located their high gear via the Doku-Foden-Nunes-Bobb combination that caused Estève’s second dose of ill-luck.
This was contest over, but there was still time for Doku, yet again, to help pierce Burnley. A dribble preceded a pass to Haaland and he made no mistake. Nor did Haaland when running through after a defensive horror show involving (again) the hapless Estève. Dubravka was allowed no chance.
