It was not the welcome back that Vincent Company and Burnley wanted, as they were spanked 3-0 by the defending champions, with Erling Haaland grabbing a brace.
The newly promoted side had seven players in the starting lineup playing in the English Premier League for the first time, while Pep Guardiola left his two new recruits – Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic.
It took only three minutes for the champions to get their first goal of the season, and no surprise, Haaland was on the end of a header from Rodri. Guardiola had hauled the Norwegian off in the Community Shield loss to Arsenal last weekend, and it was a reminder of how deadly he has been since moving to City from Borussia Dortmund.
Kevin De Bruyne led City onto the Turf Moor pitch, but he lasted only 21 minutes, and one wonders whether Guardiola is not already thinking of a replacement in West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta. The picture doesn’t look good, as the Belgian was injured in the first half of the Champions League and now has to go off in the first half of the first match of the new season.
Burnley replied through Zeki Amdouni whose shot was well held by Ederson.
If Haaland’s first goal was an instinctive finish, the second had quality written all over it. Julian Alvarez found his partner on the edge of the box, and Haaland curled in a beauty to give the champions a stronghold on the match.
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The first half ended with Guardiola handing Haaland a public lecture – he just cannot help himself as he seeks perfection.
Rodri got the third on 75 minutes from a goalmouth melee, and Burnley’s misery was complete in the fourth minute of added time when Anass Zaroury was sent off for a lunge on Kyle Walker. City are up and running, and they look confident of a fourth consecutive EPL title.
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