Online Reporter
PEP GUARDIOLA told his players to relax and enjoy the final few weeks of the season.
Either they didn’t hear him — or the nerves of knowing they are now very much in the title race have got to them. Yes, they went to the top of the table — by the slenderest of margins — ending Arsenal’s 200-day stay at the summit.
But boy did they make hard work of it and it is hard to say they are now the overwhelming favourites on this evidence.
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland said the result was all that mattered after his side claimed a 1-0 Premier League win at Burnley on Wednesday which lifted them above Arsenal on goals scored.
The Norwegian scored the only goal despite City registering 28 shots, nine of them on target.
“We had a lot of chances but I’m happy, we won and that’s the most important thing,” Haaland told Sky Sports. “It’s all about winning, no matter how. We try to play our football and we just try to win, that’s what you need in your mindset.
“Don’t think about goals, think about winning.”
Both Man City and Arsenal have 70 points from 33 games and an identical goal difference of plus 37 with five matches left to play. City are top by virtue of having scored three more goals than the London side.
Manchester City ALWAYS beat Burnley convincingly — it looked to be the perfect game to follow up their huge win over Arsenal on Sunday.
They even got an early goal from the main man Erling Haaland which should have settled any nerves. But instead they looked jittery against Scott Parker’s men whose relegation back to the Championship was confirmed by this defeat.
And we all thought it was the Gunners who had got the yips going into the home straight.
With the very real possibility that the title race will go down to goal difference, this was surely an opportunity missed for the challengers.
Guardiola had said on the eve of the game that with Champions League football secured and a cup in the bag, City had met their targets for the season.
So maybe his players took it too literally – although at least they got the all-important win.
Burnley had the first chance of the night with Jaidon Anthony’s shot pushed away by Gianluigi Donnarumma. At the other end, Bernardo Silva and Antoine Semenyo linked up to create the chance for Rayan Cherki whose shot was brilliantly tipped on to the post by Martin Dubravka.
Yet the reprieve was short-lived for the Clarets as Jeremy Doku sliced open their five-man defence to send Haaland racing clear.
The Norwegian looked confident after his winner on Sunday and dinked the ball over the advancing keeper to score with ease.
That was a 24th Prem goal for Haaland — and his 48th for club and country this season. His numbers really are something. He loves scoring against Burnley too — that’s eight in five games against the East Lancashire side. With their team a goal down in the sixth minute, the sparsely populated stands at Turf Moor must have been fearing the worst.
Their team had conceded 51 goals in their last 14 meetings with City before this — and the way it started was looking ominous.
But credit to them for hanging in there and creating chances of their own. Dutch forward Zian Flemming — who has scored ten goals in an encouraging season — was off target with a couple of decent openings. James Ward-Prowse curled a free-kick in behind the City defence but Nico O’Reilly got back to block Hjalmar Ekdal’s goalbound effort.
The England full-back was playing in a more advanced midfield role with Rodri out injured and went close to extending City’s lead.
Both times he was denied by Dubravka who collided with a post as he dived to keep out one long-range effort. However, the cricket score that many were predicting had not materialised.
It was October last time the Clarets won a home game at Turf Moor — but City had by no means had it all their own way. — Sun
