Tuesday 24 / December / 2024
Burnley : A brace from striker Erling Haaland helped Manchester City kick-start their Premier League title defense with a bang as they beat Burnley 3-0 at Turf Moor on Friday, marking a rough return for the latter to the top-tier football.
City had won their previous 11 matches against Burnley by a combined score of 40-1, making them overwhelming favorites heading into the match.
Vincent Kompany, the former City skipper who led the team to four Premier League titles, had warned that the club would be at their "worst" on the opening night of the league.
But City defied his warning, with a strike from Haaland in the fourth minute giving them the lead. Continuing his red-hot form from a record-breaking last season, the striker was not at all bothered by a crowded penalty area as he effortlessly swept the ball into the bottom corner of the goal from Rodri's headed pass.
Burnley's goalkeeper, James Trafford was not powerful enough to stop Haaland from getting his brace as the striker put the ball past him after receiving a pass from Julian Alvarez in the 36th minute.
Burnley's claim for a penalty was waved away as Zeki Amdouni went down a little too easily under pressure from Manuel Akanji.
But it was not everything happy and fun for City as they lost their key player Kevin De Bruyne to an injury in the first half. Also, City manager Pep Guardiola and Haaland were seen having a heated discussion after the half-time whistle, with the manager unhappy at the on-field complaints of the striker.
Mateo Kovacic was instead slotted into the midfield and City continued their rampage in the second half, exerting continuous pressure on Burnley and dominating the ball possession. In the 75th minute, Rodri exposed their defence through a close-range strike, that turned out to be the match-sealing one.
Kompany, now the Burnley manager, said that his side will improve as the season progresses and his team had chances in the match.
"We had five guys who started their first game for the club and we had a guy who made his career debut. We had chances. We knew it was going to be tough," said Kompany as quoted by Sky Sports.
"We have to take the positives from this game. You cannot feel good with a defeat but I have seen enough to show we have made progress since the last time we played. This team is only going to get stronger," he added.
On the other hand, Guardiola played down suggestions of a fallout with Haaland.
"We had to play more direct with Haaland and we showed that in the second half. He wants all the time, ball to him, ball to him. He was saying, 'give it to me in behind, man to man and I am going to do it'. But when you have two or three minutes left of the half... Kovacic and Rodri lost the ball," he said.
"Bernardo [Silva] was then correct to not give him another ball. But it is not a problem. He scored two goals and he is really happy," he added.
Haaland admitted that his manager was a bit mad because of his complaints at his team-mates.
"It was because of the last action when Bernardo did not play me in - he [Pep] was a bit mad at me. Everyone sees I am developing my game. I try my best every day. It is a pleasure to work with Pep. I do not know if there is anyone better for a young player as I am still young, do not forget. I just have to enjoy the chaos around me and perform on the pitch," he concluded.
Burnley will go to Aston Villa on August 27 while City will play Sevilla in the European Super Cup on Wednesday before hosting Newcastle United in Premier League on Saturday.
