Match Report & Player Ratings: Burnley 0-1 Manchester City (Premier League)

Jaidon Anthony did force Gianluigi Donnarumma into a strong save between City’s opening chances but despite a wasted opportunity from Zian Flemming in the 16th minute, the majority of the first half was controlled by the away side.

In fact, the game was only five minutes old when Erling Haaland broke the deadlock, though it was the build up which impressed the most; Marc Guehi thumped a ball up to Jeremy Doku, who held off Bashir Humphreys before threading the Norway international in, where the inevitable followed.

City’s tempo increased and before Burnley knew it, Dubravka was once again forced into action when Nico O’Reilly shot from the edge of the area having nearly sneaked a header in at the back post of a corner less than three minutes earlier.

For what was a near-perfect first period from Guardiola’s side, Burnley could have easily equalised on the half-hour mark when Silva gave Guehi an awkward pass, forcing a counter from the hosts, led by Loum Tchaouna. Flemming, who struggled to finish a previous chance, failed to capitalise, his left-footed shot going high and wide.

In the second half, Burnley had to work even harder to try and suppress a ravenous City side who nearly produced two more goals inside 10 minutes when, first, Semenyo struck at the near post inside the area before Haaland hit the post on the back of a fortunate flick of the ball.

By this point, Guardiola’s side were leading the Premier League table for the first time this calendar year on goals scored but, by the minute, the 1-0 lead looked more and more unstable as Burnley continued to improve.

The fresh legs of Savinho and Nico Gonzalez helped City renew some dominance, however, with the former forcing a low save out of Dubravka from the back post when Guehi’s cross flashed across Haaland and ran through the Burnley defence.

As the clock ticked down, Burnley had one last effort from a corner which made some City supporters look away, but it was cleared as Arsenal dropped, and the Clarets were relegated.

Here’s how we rated the Manchester City players from their nervy victory over Burnley at Turf Moor.

Player Ratings

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5

Pulled off a remarkable save early to nullify Jaidon Anthony’s shot from the left side of the box but was hardly tested after that. A strong performance for when he was involved.

Matheus Nunes – 5.5

Pushed up, dropped back and created many chances from the right. He didn’t play as high up as the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri or Nico O’Reilly on the left but made the right choices regarding positioning.

Marc Guehi – 6.5

Whether it was intentional or not, his pass to Jeremy Doku for the opener was superb and opened the play excellently. He stayed deep and was strong in possession, not to mention his leadership in the defence in the absence of Ruben Dias.

Abdukodir Khusanov – 6.5

Made a vital block against Esteve in the first seven minutes of the game before tracking back with his rapid pace to dispossess Flemming later in the first period. He’s a defender growing in confidence, and City’s best option there at the moment.

Rayan Ait-Nouri – 5

Spotted drifting inside quite a lot and often stayed high up the pitch even when Burnley were in possession. Clearly, the defender had trust in Guehi and Khusanov’s pace. His creation offensively was not amazing or bad.

Nico O’Reilly – 6

Played well in midfield until Nico was brought on, where he soon dropped back into left-back and played just as well. One vulnerability was that he kept pushing up which left gaps defensively, but nothing came of such problems.

Bernardo Silva – 5

Ran, ran, ran and ran his legs off as he reached number eight in Manchester City’s all-time appearances list. Gave an inept pass away here and made a couple of minor mistakes there but a generally positive performance from the City captain.

Jeremy Doku – 6.5

Held Humphreys off and threaded a superb pass to Haaland for the opener. Drifted centrally which isn’t too common of him but it worked the majority of the time. Looked to be doing a lot but nothing was coming of his dribbles/crosses after the opener.

Rayan Cherki – 7.5 (MOTM)

Another flawless performance from the Frenchman. He used space to create, be it with Haaland, Semenyo or Doku, and worked tirelessly to generate as many chances as possible. Was always a threat and had so much of the ball too.

Antoine Semenyo – 5

Created a couple of chances in the opening half but really should have scored on the back of a trademark run by Cherki in the 49th minute. Hit high and wide and left Guardiola frustrated. Didn’t create much.

Erling Haaland – 7

A simple finish but one that gave City the lead in style. He makes it look so easy and set the tone for a dominant opening against the Clarets. The forward also linked up well with Cherki for large parts.

Substitutes

Savinho – 5.5

Tested Dubravka when he first came on and looked full of energy in the short period that he played. A positive sub for sure.

Nico Gonzalez – 5

Looked a little shaky after coming on but soon warmed to the meeting. He will be glad to gain some important minutes.