That injected more urgency into City and Sterling should have scored when he was picked out in front of an open goal by Kyle Walker but somehow he sidefooted wide.
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“If you’re an academy manager at Manchester City, you must think you’re wasting your time”, Neville said. “Next day he is going to score a goal”.
Southampton dragged themselves out of the relegation zone with a 3-2 win at bottom club West Brom, who held a minute’s applause ahead of the game in memory of former Baggies striker Cyrille Regis.
“You talk with your staff and players and it’s something that you sense”, added Guardiola on his ability to find solutions.
Guardiola had surprised many by naming only six substitutes out of a possible seven, his reasoning being that as seven players were ill or injured, he did not have any more. Shorn of important players such as Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, John Stones and David Silva, Guardiola had to name a largely inexperienced bench featuring the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Brahim Diaz, alongside Claudio Bravo, Yaya Toure and new signing Aymeric Laporte.
Although they had lost their last three home games, all to top six sides, Burnley have been excellent against those sides overall this season.
“This win is good for our confidence and we have to fight ’til the end”, Matic said after the game.
Danilo is pleased Manchester City now have some time to clear their minds after Saturday’s frustrating result at Burnley.
City are well on course to set a new record for a title-winning points margin – now held by Ferguson’s United team in 1999/2000 that won the league by 18 points – and have left Mourinho confessing that his side is simply playing to be “first of the last” over the remainder of the season. Burnley is complicated – nobody can deny that. “It is very important to do better than last season and try to win something, and if not do better”. I feel that we haven’t been protected enough in certain situations. “That is why I am optimistic”. The hosts had also gone close to equalising when Aaron Lennon, making his full debut, had a thunderous shot tipped on to the woodwork by Ederson. “Next time we play to score”.
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“We don’t dominate too many games with the ball so we’ve got to keep our shape”. For example, tomorrow. You can not deny and everyone knows here in England how complicated it is playing at Burnley. We will focus on what we have to do and then we will see. Their keeper makes an unbelievable save and then there is an unbelievable miss. I’m sad for the players because we played so well.
