CANNON FODEN
Burnley blown away as Pep’s boys Phil their boots to make Reds wait for crown
MAN CITY ...... 5 BURNLEY ...... 0 DAVID ANDERSON AT ETIHAD STADIUM
THEIR reign may be ending but Manchester City are determined to make Liverpool wait to take their crown.
Phil Foden inspired Manchester City to this most straight forward of wins over hapless Burnley, which means Liverpool can’t claim the title against Crystal Palace at Anfield tomorrow.
Pep Guardiola’s side can frustrate them at least until the sides collide here next week, if they can avoid defeat at Chelsea on Thursday.
This was the football equivalent of social distancing as Burnley did not get within a mile of City, let alone two metres. Guardiola has such strength in depth he could afford to make eight changes, including a new back four.
Foden dazzled, scoring twice, to show he is ready to step up and assume David Silva’s wand as City’s new magician. Spain legend Silva is not finished yet and got in on the fun with a goal, while Riyad Mahrez bagged two.
Foden said: “I’d like to think that was my best game in a City shirt. I’m still learning every day but I’m happy to put performances in like that.”
For Sean Dyche, this was always going to be a damage limitation exercise. He could only name seven substitutes rather than nine because his squad has been badly hit by contract stand-offs and injury.
Guardiola’s only selection issue was who to leave out and started Raheem Sterling,
Aymeric Laporte and Kevin De Bruyne on the bench. It was the predictable one-way traffic and Bernardo Silva wastefully blazed wide rightfooted after being played in by David Silva.
He made amends when City took a short corner on the right and found Foden unmarked 25 yards out, who cracked home a left-foot drive on 22 minutes.
Three minutes before the interval, Fernandinho found Mahrez with a superb long pass and the Algerian turned Charlie Taylor inside out before shooting home past England keeper Nick Pope.
Mahrez added his second and City’s third from the penalty spot in the third minute of first-half stoppage time when the Blues were awarded a spot-kick by VAR for a foul by Ben Mee on Sergio Aguero, which forced the striker out of the action.
Burnley’s defending was poor and they again left Foden in too much space from a short corner. He fed Bernardo Silva on the left, who centred for David Silva to slide in and score the fourth on 50 minutes.
And Gabriel Jesus touched Bernardo Silva’s cross on for Foden to convert his second.
Just before the game, a plane flew over dragging a banner that read “White Lives Matter Burnley”. The Clarets released a statement condemning the banner and said “those responsible are not welcome at Turf Moor”.