Burnley 1-1 Manchester City: Premier League highlights and recap

Burnley drew 1-1 Manchester City at Turf Moor on Saturday, Feb. 3. Here are all the highlights from the match.

There has been an inevitability to Manchester City’s dominance this season. They take a lead, forcing the opposition to start taking risks and then they pick them off, ruthlessly, efficiently, decisively. Heading into their match at Turf Moor on Saturday, the Citizens had yet to drop a Premier League point after scoring first. Not any more.

City’s opener, a curled finish by Danilo from 25 yards in the 22nd minute, was a perfect illustration of the difference between these sides, the result of exactly the sort of low-percentage chance Burnley are happy to give their opponents. Of course, for a team of City’s quality, every chance is a little better than it looks, right?

As Burnley committed more numbers in attack and increased the frequency, if not the effectiveness, of their press, the visitors got behind them with increasing ease. Sterling was denied by a good tackle by Phil Bardsley on the half-hour mark, while Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero both shot straight at Nick Pope from good positions.

Burnley also had their chances in the first half — two, to be exact, both of which fell to Ben Mee. The first came in the 31st minute, Mee left unmarked following a free-kick but hitting his volley too close to Ederson. The second was a more routine header at the back post, which he couldn’t quite direct on target.

City continued to create a steady stream of good chances in the second half, with Sterling and Aguero both going close again, but Burnley began to grow into the game after an hour, and started for the first time to pose a consistent threat. When Aaron Lennon saw his powerful shot denied by a superb save in the 69th minute, City’s air of dominance cracked.

Still, this being City, they continued to pass their way through the Clarets back line, and created their best chance of the match only two minutes after Ederson’s save. De Bruyne played in Kyle Walker with a wonderful through ball, before Walker’s cross found Sterling unmarked, two yards away from an open goal. Somehow, the winger skewed his shot wide.

Sterling has been superb this season, and has largely put to bed the old discussions about his shortcomings as a finisher, but this was a stunning miss, the sort you’d worry might haunt a player if his team weren’t so far ahead of everyone else in the title race. As it is, he should be able to put this behind him quickly.

Nonetheless, it was a remarkable miss, and seemed to give Sean Dyche’s side a renewed energy, on which they capitalized in the 82nd minute. Matt Lowton’s deep cross didn’t look particularly dangerous, but Walker lost sight of Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who got in front of his marker and finished emphatically on the half-volley.

Highlights

Manchester City remain in first place despite the draw. They’re 16 points ahead of second-place Manchester United, who play Huddersfield later in the day. Burnley remain seventh, two points ahead of Leicester, who also play later in the day.