Haaland Returns To Play, Man City Wins Easily Against Burnley

Manchester City celebrated Julian Alvarez's goal in the match against Burnley. (X/@ManCity)

JAKARTA - Manchester City, which was again strengthened by striker Erling Haaland, had no trouble defeating Burnley 3-1 in the English Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium, Thursday, February 1, 2024 in the morning WIB.

Man City won easily against opponents who were in the relegation zone. In that match, Man City took the lead with Burnley.

With the depth of their squad, manager Pep Guardiola can still field the best team in the match. Haaland, who had just recovered from injury, was not immediately played.

He was only played in the second half replacing Kevin De Bruyne in the 71st minute. However, he could not score a goal after playing about 20 minutes.

But Julian Alvarez can take over Haaland's duties well. The Argentine national team striker managed to score a brace that kept Man City consistent so that it could maintain competition with Liverpool.

The victory over Burnley, who was handled by former Man City captain Vincent Kompany, made them return to second place controlled by Arsenal. Now, The Cityzens are pocketing 46 points. Similar to Arsenal, but the defending champion is ahead on goal difference.

Man City also saved one game so they could stay away from Arsenal. They can get closer to Liverpool when they are still comfortable at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, Burnley, who lost their fourth to the last five matches, is still in the relegation zone by ranking 19 or second from below. With points 12, The Clarets, who have never won at home to Man City since 1963, have stepped into the Championshi Division, aka a down caste.

In that match, Alvarez answered Guardiola's trust when he started as the spearhead of the team. He opened Man City's victory after his header which met Matheus Nunes' pass successfully found Burnley's goal in the 16th minute.

Winning 1-0 made Man City players even more excited to attack the visitors' defense. As a result, Man City did not take long to increase their lead. Alvarez scored his second goal again in the 22nd minute.

He continued his free kick from Kevin De Bruyne to make a brace. The 2-0 score for Man City lasted until halftime.

In the second half, Man City did not lower the tempo of the game. They completely dominated with possession reaching 75%.

The home game again paid off. The game was only one minute away, Man City had added goals. This time, Rodri's midfielder who finished Phil Foden's assist changed the score to 3-0.

Burnley got an entertainment goal in injury time. Defender Ameen Al Dakhil managed to score his only goal. The player who was born in Baghdad, Iran, but then defended the Belgian national team met a pass from David Datro Fofana in the 90+3 minute. The score changed to 3-1 and lasted until the end of the match.