Good afternoon everyone, you’re very welcome along to our minute-by-minute coverage of today’s decisive Premier League clash between Burnley and Manchester City.
So, how’s the nerves then? Liverpool need a big, big favour from the Clarets today if they are to stand any chance of ending a 29-year wait for a league title.
As it stands Jurgen Klopp’s men are top of the table, but three wins from three (starting today) will see Man City reclaim the title and break Reds’ hearts as their wait for a first ever Premier League title continues.
It’s tight and tense at the top. Pep Guardiola’s men don’t have any more Champions League football to look forward to and will be laser-focussed on seeing out the job, getting over the line and defending their title.
All that said, Liverpool fans know that even just one single draw against either Burnley, Leicester City or Brighton combined with a flawless end to their season at Anfield, would see the Merseysiders crowned champions.
It’s simple: three wins for City and they are champions. One draw for the Cityzens and threw Liverpool wins, and we have a new name on that big shiny trophy. The stakes could not be higher.
Kick-off is coming up in an hour’s time at 2.05pm, with today’s game live on Sky Sports Main Event if you’re near a TV.
Let’s get started with today’s team news…
TEAM NEWS: Here is your Burnley team to face @ManCity in today's @premierleague game at Turf Moor. pic.twitter.com/CnpZ78IbOu
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) April 28, 2019
📋 How we line-up against Burnley this afternoon...
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 28, 2019
XI | Ederson, Walker, Kompany (C), Laporte, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Bernardo, D Silva, Sterling, Sane, Aguero
SUBS | Muric, Danilo, Stones, Mahrez, Otamendi, G Jesus, Foden
⚽️ @HaysWorldwide
🔵 #mancity #BURMCI pic.twitter.com/WjM3YaYEh6
TEAM NEWS: Sean Dyche makes zero changes from his side’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
He has opted for the exact same team which earned a point in London, with Jeff Hendrick in midfield alongside Ashley Woodwood, who is making his 300th career start today.
Meanwhile Pep Guardiola has opted for just one change from his side’s 2-0 victory at Old Trafford earlier this week. The injured Fernandinho is out, with Leroy Sane picked up front instead as Bernardo Silva drops back into the midfield three.
Burnley: Heaton, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil, Barnes, Wood.
Substitues: Gudmundsson, Gibson, Hart, Ward, Vydra, Long, Driscoll-Glennon.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko, Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, Silva, Sterling, Aguero, Sane.
Substitues: Danilo, Stones, Mahrez, Otamendi, Gabriel Jesus, Foden, Muric.
Just 35 minutes to go before kick-off at Turf Moor. Liverpool badly need a favour today.
But with Man City currently enjoying an 11-game winning streak in the Premier League which stretches all the way back to 29 January, a win for the champions seems likely.
Miracles, as they say though, are possible.
How’s this one going to go? Let us know below!
Poll Results:
Warm-ups are in full swing! 👌 @BernardoCSilva is ready... How are you guys feeling?
— Manchester City (@ManCity) April 28, 2019
🔵 #mancity #BURMCI pic.twitter.com/oZ8Fq0n9dz
KICK-OFF: We’re underway at Turf Moor for the first half!
The Clarets enjoying plenty of possession inside the opening few minutes here. It’s worth remembering that Burnley are officially safe this season and have no fears of relegation over the next three games.
Man City beginning to get a foothold now. Sergio Aguero fizzes a dangerous low ball into the box after powering into the penalty area untouched, but Ben Mee is on hand to provide an interception and hook the ball to safety.
Another attack for City, this time down the left where space has started to open up. Olexandr Zinchenko drives forward from defence and sends a low cross into the area, but once again there’s a Burnley leg first to it. James Tarkowski puts the ball out for a corner.
A fairly tight and even opening ten minutes here. Pep Guardiola’s men yet to properly hit their rhythm and get going in attack. Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero have both been relatively quiet so far.
A sticky moment for Burnley behind. Bernardo Silva’s pass into the box nearly finds Sergio Aguero, but the striker loses his footing as Ben Mee stays composed and alert to usher the ball away from danger.
There are loud shouts for a penalty from the home supporters. A shot from Ashley Barnes looks like it may have struck the arm of Vincent Kompany. Referee Paul Tierney waves play on and subsequent replays show he was completely correct in his decision — the ball clearly hitting the Man City skipper’s head.
Now then. Kompany fouls Barnes from behind and Burnley have a free kick in a dangerous position about 30 yards out from goal. Kompany says his opponent merely backed up into him, but referee Tierney says it was a foul.
The free is chipped into the box where Ben Mee is completely free after running away from Raheem Sterling inside the box. The defender wallops a volley towards goal, but it doesn’t come close to hitting the target and flies wide.
Close! A really great chance for Burnley to take the lead. It’s a golden opportunity as Chris Wood is played clean through on goal. His first touch is absolutely woeful though. The ball slips away from the striker and gives Ederson the chance to hoover it up, which he does. Wood should have done a lot better.
To their credit, Burnley have probably been more on top here. Guardiola’s side just haven’t gotten going at all, but still pose a serious threat any time they get the ball down towards Bernardo Silva and Sterling on the counter.
Save! Tom Heaton is forced into an important stop on his goal-line. A swift counter against the run of play sees Bernardo Silva fire a powerful low effort aimed towards Heaton’s near post, but the goalkeeper reads it early and gets his hands to the ball.
Zinchenko tries to find the run of Leroy Sane behind enemy lines. The German escapes his marker but struggles to bring the Ukrainian’s pass under control. The ball bounces and bobbles inside the box and Heaton is there to gather again.
Chance! The visitors starting to maintain a steady bit of pressure now. A golden chance falls to Raheem Sterling with the goal at his mercy, but his shot is blocked. It falls to Zinchenko but his shot is well off target.
Zinchenko at it again. He floats another one of those dangerous crosses from the left wing right across the face of goal in rapid fashion. All it needs is the deftest of touches to steer it home, but nobody is on hand and the ball zips out the other side of the box.
Less than ten minutes to go before half-time now. Burnley probably would have taken a 0-0 at this stage if you had offered it to them before kick-off. And you know what? I bet Liverpool supporters would have too.
A couple of nearly-chances for Man City, who are playing a game of cat-and-mouse at the minute waiting for an opening. David Silva curls a cross into the box, but Tom Heaton dashes off his line to pluck it from the air. Confident goalkeeping.
Oooof close again. Sergio Aguero cuts inside and provides a snapshot which looks like breaking the deadlock, but it whisks narrowly wide of Heaton’s bottom corner. A little bit more bend on that and it surely would have been 1-0.
Great defending again from Burnley. A neat passage of combination play involving Aguero and Silva almost sees another chance carved out, but Tarkowski brushes in to gather possession and dribble away from danger.
Almost a chance for Burnley right on the stroke of half-time. Some good work in defence sees Matthew Lowton loft a diagonal ball right into danger, but the pass has just too much on it and peels away from the run of Chris Wood breaking free unmarked. He was nearly in there.
There will be two minutes of stoppage time to come at the end of the first half.
HALF-TIME: BURNLEY 0-0 MAN CITY
There we have it, halfway there. It’s been an absorbing affair so far and 45 minutes which Burnley will be quite happy with, truth be told.
Pep Guardiola’s side had won 11 Premier League games without interruption heading into kick-off this afternoon, but just don’t look themselves out there.
There’s been little of the clinical attacking flair and ruthlessness which has been their hallmark this season, with Man City oftentimes having games like this put to bed within 15-20 minutes.
Sean Dyche’s men have been very difficult to break down and have even had one or two very close chances of their own finding space behind Vincent Kompany and Aymeric Laporte.
It’s finely balanced. More action to come very shortly!
One-way traffic, but no way through#BURMCI pic.twitter.com/mEknZKpORI
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 28, 2019
SECOND-HALF: We’re back underway for another 45 minutes.
Man City look for an immediate break from kick-off. Raheem Sterling bears down on goal with team-mates pulling away left and right begging for the ball, but he runs into trouble and is dispossessed.
Burnley enjoy a spell in possession but down the other end Tom Heaton is forced into a fine save at his near post. Sergio Aguero fires on target from an acute angle, but the England goalkeeper gets a strong two hands behind it.
Close again! A barrage of Man City chances comes and goes but still Burnley stay alive. Aymeric Laporte peels away after staying up for a corner and arrows a brilliant header on target. Either side of the goalkeeper and it would have been 1-0, but he hits it right at Heaton. Maybe it wasn’t such a good header after all actually.
Subsequent replays have shown that amid all the madness Burnley were very, very lucky not to have conceded a penalty there. Ashley Barnes’ arm clearly connected with a cross into the box, but referee Paul Tierney was happy to wave play on. Truth be told that did look like a penalty there.
Good Lord this pressure just won’t stop. Kyle Walker fizzes a wicked ball across the box, but no-one is there to knock it into the back of the net. Tom Heaton is playing a stormer out there, but how long can Burnley hack this? It’s just wave after wave of Man City attacks right now.
They’re all lining up for a go now. Good linkup play between Sterling and Aguero sees the Argentine skip away on the edge of the box. He fires a low right-footed shot aiming for Heaton’s bottom left corner, but Aguero’s shot lags well and truly wide.
Ten minutes into the second half and it’s been all one-way traffic so far. Dyche’s men are camped inside their own half and, more accurately, have nearly been based inside their own box since the half-time interval. It’s like a siege out there.
Nervy moment there. Sterling dances through with brilliant skill and composure but just when he looked like pulling the trigger on his left boot, Matthew Lowton slid in with a perfectly-timed challenge to put the ball away from danger.
This is a bit ludicrous out there. All eleven Burnley players are camped behind the ball and are happy to just lump the ball up to Ederson any chance they get. It would remind you a bit of the Richard Dunne-inspired 0-0 draw away to Russia.
GOAL! BURNLEY 0-1 MAN CITY (AGUERO 63)
It’s there! Man City finally break the deadlock with less than half an hour to go. Sergio Aguero strikes after a brilliant pass from Bernardo Silva and the Argentine’s shot just manages to crawl over the line. There was a Burnley body on hand to boot it clear, but the goal-line technology shows it was definitely over the line.
That could be a huge goal in the context of the title race. A win today and Man City reclaim top spot, but after an hour of Burnley battling, Liverpool supporters have may have been thinking that a draw could be on the cards at Turf Moor. Aguero settles City nerves though, scoring his 20th goal of the season.
Burnley venture forward in what is their first proper attack of the second half. Ashley Barnes has a go from a really difficult angle and the task is too much for the striker as his shot blazes well wide of Ederson.
The game has calmed down a bit now. Guardiola’s side looked like men possessed trying to break the deadlock and now that they have that vital goal, there is an ease about their play at the minute. Burnley put so much energy into keeping the score level and look a little deflated now that their efforts were in vain. Twenty minutes to go.
Substitution for Burnley: Matej Vydra replaces Chris Wood.
Another chance for the visitors. Kyle Walker sprints down the right wing and beats his his marker Taylor with a turn of pace, but his cross into the area is hooked clear to safety by James Tarkowski.
Save! Ben Mee produces a world class block on his own goal-line to keep the scoreline at 1-0. Gabriel Jesus managed to take the ball down and round Tom Heaton, but Mee was on hand to throw himself in the way heroically. What brilliant defending.
Burnley slowly starting to find a bit of attacking rhythm now in search of the equaliser. Ashley Westwood and Dwight McNeil are getting on the ball in the middle of the park, but trying to play through either Wood or Barnes is proving difficult.
Ten minutes left on the clock. Man City are still pressing for a second as Burnley try and try to carve out some kind of a chance. Sean Dyche’s side have had just two shots all game compared to City’s 25, with the Clarets just far too slow in attack to properly pose any kind of threat.
Substitution for Man City: John Stones replaces Sergio Aguero.
Five minutes left on the clock. It’s still very tight and tense as Man City continue to enjoy all possession, while Burnley continue to sit back and try to get a sniff of the ball. Basically, the same as it’s been all half.
Guardiola’s men happy to count down the last few minutes. Bernardo Silva oversees a corner kick but takes his time with it. His cross is headed clear by Ben Mee before Raheem Sterling prevents a Burnley counter with a tug of his opponent’s shirt.
There will be four minutes of stoppage time to come at the end of the second half.
There will be one late last chance for Burnley here as Vincent Kompany is penalised for a foul about 25 yards out from goal. Dyche’s men will try and cross this into the box, and it does feel like this will be now or never. The drama is palpable at Turf Moor.
The free comes to nothing as the subsequent cross is hooked clear rather easily. The ball did fall to Charlie Taylor on the edge of the area, but the left Burnley back struggled to get the ball out of his feet to try and strike on goal. That should be it.
FULL-TIME: BURNLEY 0-1 MAN CITY
It’s all over! Manchester City overtake Liverpool to reclaim top spot in the Premier League with two games to go this season.
It was a tense and tight affair for large periods and, in fact, it took Pep Guardiola’s side more than an hour of play to finally break Burnley down.
Sergio Aguero latched onto a Bernardo Silva pass and struck on target after 63 minutes, with the Argentine’s effort narrowly creeping over the goal-line after referee Paul Tierney confirmed with goal-line technology.
Thanks a million for joining us this afternoon — you can read our full match report here. Cya!
FULL-TIME Burnley 0-1 Man City
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 28, 2019
Sergio Aguero’s 20th #PL goal of the season gets the champions over the line and back on top of the table#BURMCI pic.twitter.com/JoemAmvYgb
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