Aoba Tanaka 
Manchester City showcased their attacking prowess as they cruised to a convincing victory against Burnley, with striker Julian Alvarez stealing the spotlight on his birthday. Alvarez’s impressive brace, coupled with Rodri’s contribution, secured an 8th successive win for City, reinforcing their title aspirations.
Erling Haaland, making a comeback after recovering from a foot injury, played a limited role as a substitute. The Norwegian’s return was marked by a light-hearted moment when he mis-kicked a shot, drawing laughter from his teammates on the bench. However, it was Alvarez who claimed the spotlight with a stellar performance.
Alvarez, celebrating his 24th birthday, earned the man-of-the-match accolade by becoming only the 10th player in Premier League history to score two or more goals on their birthday. His first goal came in the 16th minute when Matheus Nunes delivered a sublime cross for Alvarez to head home. The Argentine doubled his tally just six minutes later, capitalizing on a well-executed free-kick routine initiated by Kevin de Bruyne.
City’s dominance continued into the second half, with Rodri adding a third goal in trademark fashion. Phil Foden’s cut-back found Rodri, who clinically drove home from the edge of the area, extending City’s lead.
Despite Burnley’s efforts, City’s grip on the game remained unyielding. Burnley managed to grab a consolation goal in injury time, courtesy of defender Ameen Al-Dakhil. However, it couldn’t prevent City from securing their 13th consecutive victory against Burnley.
Manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged the competitive challenge posed by Liverpool and Arsenal in the title race. Guardiola emphasized the need for City to maintain a significant winning streak to stay in contention for an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title.
“With this Liverpool that we have faced for eight years, and Arsenal, with Mikel [Arteta] who has settled his squad, I don’t have the feeling that they’re going to drop much points,” Guardiola stated. “We have to win as many games as possible, and, at the end, we will see what happens.”
City, currently sitting in second place, are five points behind leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, positioning themselves as strong contenders in the race for the Premier League title.
