Extended match action from Man City’s 2-1 win over Burnley.
City started the day needing to get back to winning ways after the New Year’s Eve loss to Liverpool.
Kelechi Iheanacho.
The first chance was the better of the two, as Raheem Sterling slipped him clear only for keeper Tom Heaton to block his effort and then poke the ball of Sterling in the melee that followed.
The young Nigerian then curled a deflected shot over a couple of minutes later as the Blues looked to get an early foothold that has sometimes evaded them in a number of home games this season
Another lightening Sterling break on 17 minutes gave Yaya Toure forced Heaton into another decent save with a shot from 20 yards.
Well organised and determined, Burnley were frustrating the hosts and just past the half-hour mark City’s task became that much harder when Fernandinho was shown a straight red for a rash tackle on Gudmundsson.
Down to ten men with two thirds of the game left, the Blues looked up against it and Guardiola decided to bring on David Silva and Sergio Aguero at the break in an attempt to shake things up.
City continued to press despite being a man down, but with greater purpose and menace and on 58 minutes were rewarded with a goal – something of a collectors’ item – as Gael Clichy cut in from the left before striking a low shot past Heaton.
Four minutes later and the Blues had doubled the lead. De Bruyne’s through-ball to Sterling looked a yard short, but the England winger managed to take the pass in his stride, trip as he attempted to round Heaton and Aguero powered the loose ball home from a tight angle and despite there being two defenders on the line.
It was just reward for the Blues who, far from going into a defensive mindset following Fernandinho’s sending off, shifted up a gear.
The game was far from over, however and on 70 minutes and almighty scramble in the City box ended with former youth team skipper Ben Mee forcing the ball over the line.
