Saturday 28 / December / 2024
Manchester : Star striker Erling Haaland made his return after almost two months following a foot injury as Manchester City beat Burnley 3-1 in their Premier League match on Wednesday night at Etihad Stadium to get closer to the table toppers, Liverpool.
Haaland made his entry as a substitute in the second half, replacing another star player Kevin De Bruyne, who impressed in his first start since last August.
Youngster Julian Alvarez was the key reason behind City's fourth successive Premier League win as he got two goals in the first half.
The Argentina's World Cup-winning star scored his first goal through a header in the 16th minute. Later, a De Bruyne free-kick provided him with an assist and Alvarez wasted no time in outfoxing the Burnley defence in the 22nd minute.
City headed into the half-time with a 2-0 scoreline. Rodri tripled their lead in the 46th minute as he swept into the nets a cut-back from Phil Foden.
Haaland looked a little rusty during his run in the second half and could not make a lot of chances for himself, but his return in itself was a satisfying moment for the City. Ameen Al-Dakhil provided a late, consolation goal for Burnley in the stoppage time.
City is at number two with 46 points (14 wins, four draws and three losses), just five points short of toppers Liverpool (15 wins, six draws and a loss), who have 51 points.
In another thrilling match, a London Derby, Tottenham Hotspurs outdid Brentford by 3-2.
Neal Maupay gave his team an early lead with his 15th-minute strike, his fourth goal in four games.
Brentford went into the second half with a 1-0 lead, but Spurs got a new lease of life in the second half, with Destiny Udogie firing an equaliser from close range (48th minute) and substitute Brennan Johnson scoring the second goal, making good use of Timo Werner's cross moments later in 49th minute. Richarlison scored the third goal in the 56th minute.
Ivan Toney's 67th-minute strike made sure Burnley was alive, but Spurs managed to hold on to their three points. Spurs is at number four with 43 points, with 13 wins, four draws and five losses. Burnley is at 19th spot, with three wins, three draws and six losses, a total of 12 points.
Liverpool kept their Premier League supremacy alive with a dominant 4-1 win over Chelsea at their home arena of Anfield.
Liverpool had an advantage in the first half with goals from Diogo Jota (23rd minute), Conor Bradley (39th minute). Dominik Szoboszlai (65th minute) and Luis Diaz (79th minute) scored in the second half to keep the Reds' dominance alive.
Christopher Nkunku scored the sole goal for Chelsea in the 71st minute.
Chelsea is at 10th spot in the table with nine wins, four draws and nine losses. They have a total of 36 points.
