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Burnley Fan View: Unbeaten run ends at Man City

Burnley’s Ashley Barnes rues a missed chance against Manchester City
Burnley’s Ashley Barnes rues a missed chance against Manchester City

After going six games without a defeat, Burnley finally succumbed to a free flowing Man City side at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

It was billed by myself as a free hit and that’s how it should be judged. I thought we were in the game for long periods but City’s persistence and abundance of skill wore us down in the end.

The first goal came from the spot and the circumstances caused quite a storm on Saturday evening with many pundits believing Bernardo Silva to have dived to win the penalty. I have seen numerous replays and for me it was clear simulation. Silva played the ball away from goal and purposefully dragged his toe, which was clipped by Nick Pope in our goal. The agony on Silva’s face as he leapt like a salmon in the air, before landing and immediately turning to look at the referee for confirmation was embarassing.

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Regardless of the blatant cheating, Burnley didn’t deserve anything from the game – City were too good for us. Considering their free scoring form, a 3-0 defeat almost feels like a small victory, but of course we earn no points. Goals from Sane and Otamendi finished us off.

One thing that really stuck out from me was the attitude of the City fans, who didn’t show up in numbers despite the best efforts of the MCFC marketing team and subsidised ticket prices. The stadium was probably a third empty by the time the 80th minute arrived and it beggars belief that they can have such small attendance in a big city, especially with the rise of football tourism in recent years.

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We all know City have benefited from a benefactor in recent years, at least that’s the way it is phrased in the media. All i see is financial doping. In my opinion, nothing that City have won or will win since the Arab takeover is legitimate. The new breed of City fans don’t seem to get that and frankly I pity those hardcore fans who watched Shaun Goater score for fun against us in the old Division Two and One. Well maybe pity is too strong.

All in all I think we played as best as we could have hoped and we returned to Burnley with our heads held high. Next up is Newcastle next Monday night and we really could do with 3 points to get back on track in the league.

Burnley’s Ben Mee leaves Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus spinning
Burnley’s Ben Mee leaves Manchester City’s Gabriel Jesus spinning