MANCHESTER CITY MADE sure they ended the day on top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over Burnley.
Responding to Liverpool’s 2-0 lunchtime victory over Watford, first-half goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan restored City’s one-point advantage ahead of a huge week, which includes the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid and next week’s visit of the Reds.
City led with five minutes gone, with Raheem Sterling cushioning Rodri’s cross-field pass into the path of De Bruyne, who marked his 200th Premier League appearance for the club by rifling beyond Nick Pope for his eighth league goal in the last 13 games.
Rodri had tested Pope with a curling shot and sent a volley wide before City doubled their lead in the 25th minute. Sterling again got the assist, exchanging passes with De Bruyne before cutting the ball back for Gundogan to stroke home.
It was already looking like a question of how many City might fancy as a patched-up Burnley defence – in which Irish international Kevin Long made his first appearance of the season in the absence of Ben Mee and Nathan Collins – was pulled this way and that.
Burnley finally registered a shot on target in the 74th minute when they pressed high, winning the ball off Jack Grealish, but substitute Jay Rodriguez’s shot was comfortably held by Ederson.
Burnley’s survival hopes rest not on meetings with City but fixtures like Wednesday’s match against fellow strugglers Everton.
Having raised hopes by taking seven points from a possible nine in the second half of February, the Clarets have lost four in a row since, and have won only two of their last 24 games at home.
Unless they can change that form soon, they will not need to worry about facing City next season.
Elsewhere in the Premier League this afternoon, Wolves maintained their European charge after a deserved derby win over Aston Villa. Jonny’s rocket and Ashley Young’s own goal earned the hosts a 2-1 win at Molinuex. Ollie Watkins pulled a goal back with a late penalty but Wolves held their nerve to keep the pressure on in the race for Europe.
James Ward-Prowse produced more free-kick magic to earn Southampton a 1-1 draw at Leeds and halt their four-game losing run. The England midfielder curled home a trademark free-kick early in the second half after Jack Harrison had given Leeds an interval lead.
Neal Maupay, meanwhile, missed a penalty as Brighton were held 0-0 at home by Norwich. Shane Duffy was an unused substitute for Brighton, with Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele still sidelined with injury for the visitors.
Premier League results
- Liverpool 2-0 Watford
- Burnley 0-2 Man City
- Chelsea 1-4 Brentford
- Brighton 0-0 Norwich
- Leeds 1-1 Southampton
- Wolves 2-1 Aston Villa
