It was the Portuguese international's second league goal of the campaign having scored the winner at Leicester in September.īurnley did well to keep themselves in the game with Pope blocking Joao Cancelo's volley in the midriff. The England international's strike failed to beat Pope but the goalkeeper only succeeded in pushing the ball out to Bernardo who gobbled up the rebound from three yards. Kevin De Bruyne doubled City's lead in the second half to settle any nerves from the hosts and secure them all three pointsĪn early goal is usually important in games like this and City took their chance following a patient build-up down the right which led to Bernardo teeing up Foden on the edge of the box. The team news was dominated by Sterling being recalled by Guardiola for only his third Premier League start of the season.ĭe Bruyne wore the armband with Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan and Ruben Dias not starting and Burnley also had to change their leader with Ben Mee absent with Covid, James Tarkowski leading his side out. Maxwell Cornet had a glorious chance at 1-0 but was foiled by the onrushing Zack Steffen, who did a passable impression of the man he was deputising for, Ederson who spent last week on World Cup duty for Brazil. And though they couldn't repeat the 5-0 scoreline Burnley had suffered on their previous four visits, the result wasn't in doubt once captain-for-the-day Kevin De Bruyne had fired in a second goal after 70 minutes.īurnley are still looking for their first win of the season and stay in the bottom three though their performance didn't resemble a side in the doldrums. He is at his top level right now.'Ĭity haven't conceded at home in the league this season. 'He is always helping, trying to do his job. 'It is a joy for a manager,' said Guardiola, aware Sterling might be reading. He never loses the ball and score a goal which is important for him.'īernardo got a standing ovation and a hug from his manager when he was taken off in injury-time but the little perfectionist was sore he couldn't provide an assist to a team-mate having scored himself. Defensively, offensively, he is so intuitive with what he has to do. 'His performances levels are extraordinary.
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He and Rodri are in incredible form,' purred Guardiola. 'We are incredibly lucky to have Bernardo. And at home, or at the Etihad, one thing always remains true: I love football, come rain or shine, grey sky or blue moon.They are Guardiola's go-to men at the moment, leaving the likes of Sterling having to fight out for the remaining places. It’s for the club, for the thrill of the beautiful game.
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My passion isn’t for the stadium or the glitz and glam of seeing the players up close. At least at home, nobody bears witness to my worst moments, crumpled on the floor – a mirror image of players on the pitch when City are knocked out of Europe. Supporting Man City can be like tiptoeing over eggshells. I can still wear my Stones-emblazoned shirt, watching the games on my television screen. I can still have my half-time cup of tea and chocolate bar. Sure, I can’t wait for the first game back, to feel the matchday buzz once again. An evening of keeping count as the aggregate advantage changed hands and then watching VAR rule out a last-minute City winner amid a cacophony of boos… pure stress.īut, really, is football much less stressful at home? Was watching the second leg of the Real Madrid match from the safety of my blanket not still nerve-wracking? Was trying to add up points during the group stage, wondering whether we had guaranteed first in the group while multiple games were occurring, any less confusing?įootball transcends the abnormality of the world right now. Nobody – certainly neither myself nor the Spurs friend I had alongside me – could have predicted the goalscoring frenzy that was about to ensue.
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Just under two years ago I found myself at the second leg of an important Champions League fixture: City v Spurs in the quarter-finals. While every other facet of life has been flipped on its head, football provides a ghostly semblance of normality, reminding me of how life once was and, inevitably, how it will be again someday. No matter the stress Manchester City might bring, Hannah Watts takes comfort from the beautiful game in this time of crisisįootball has brought me much comfort during these tumultuous times.