Match From The Past – Manchester City Thump Burnley At Turf Moor - Again

3^rd April l2010

What a difference a few years make. The last time City put six past Burnley at Turf Moor, the blues were fighting for a play-off place, yet just eleven years later, the blues were in search of a Champions League spot.

The blues were fifth in the Premier League, two points behind fourth placed Spurs and victory would take City above the Londoners, who had lost to Sunderland 3-1. Burnley were fighting relegation and looked a shadow of the side that had claimed a 3-3 draw in Manchester earlier in the season. City had been in rampant form against the Clarets over recent years, and the home side feared another mauling from a City side displaying a wealth of talent on the pitch.

And the home fans fears were justified as the blues went 3-0 up with just seven minutes on the clock. The blues won a corner in the fourth minute, from which, Adam Johnson found Emmanuel Adebayor. The striker controlled the ball and, with the Burnley defence giving him all the time he needed, rifled the ball low and into the back of the net.

Burnley were shocked to find themselves a goal behind so quickly, and the home support’s frustration at their teams defending was already looking like boiling over as Craig Bellamy made it 2-0. Carlos Tevez charged forward and his intended pass to Adebayor was intercepted by Bellamy. With the home defence wrong-footed, the Welsh striker skipped past the defender to sidefoot the ball home after just five minutes.

As just two minutes later, the visiting City fans were just as surprised as the home fans as City made it 3-0. Adebayor’s shot was tipped by the keeper into the path of the onrushing Tevez, who had the simplest of tasks to score the easiest goal of his career.

By this point, every City attack looked like ending in a goal and some of the home fans would have been forgiven if they’d got up and left the stadium and on 20 minutes, it got even worse for the home side. Another Johnson corner into the box was this time met powerfully by the head of Patrick Vieira. Who thumped home goal number four.

Burnley made an attempt to shore up their defence and it worked for long periods of time before it was eventually breached again just before half time and it was Tevez again who was at the heart of it. His through ball to Adebayor was brilliantly executed and the Togo striker latched onto it, raced forward and slid the ball under the keeper to send City in 5-0 up at the break.

The blues took their foot off the gas in the second half, but still found time to get a sixth goal, which came via the head of Vincent Kompany. The Belgian rose highest to meet yet another Johnson corner to make it 6-0 in front of the travelling supporters.

By now, many of the home fans had since departed the stadium and those that hadn’t already gone soon joined them as memories of the 6-0 thrashing in 1999 came back to haunt them. But, as is usually the case, City’s defence gave the home side something to cheer about as they allowed Steven Fletcher to breach the back line and beat Shay Given to avoid a complete whitewash.

The result moved the blues up to fourth in the league, but they couldn’t hold onto it as Spurs claimed the final Champions League place, but it would be the last time City would miss out.

Final Score: Burnley 1-6 Manchester City