Burnley 1-1 Manchester City: 5 Talking Points

#2 It just wasn’t Raheem Sterling’s day

Sterling missed chances that he would normally convert

There would have been a fair bit of focus on Sterling in Sean Dyche’s pre-match preparations, and a lot has been made of the England man’s most prolific season to date. With 14 Premier League goals to his name, Sterling has shown just how much he has improved under Guardiola, and he didn’t perform particularly badly in this game overall.

He was the main outlet for City being a constant menace for Phil Bardsley in the first half and, when the former Manchester United man was replaced, Matt Lowton after the break. Constantly in space, Sterling typified Guardiola’s approach to the possession-based counter attack.

But it could be argued Sterling was the main reason for City dropping points for only the fourth time this season. The microscope focussed on him first when he failed to convert an opportunity from point-blank range after Agüero played him in, shooting over Nick Pope’s goal. But the pressure intensified when he somehow missed an open goal from mere yards out, later being replaced by Brahim Diaz and seeing Burnley steal a point just minutes from time.