Alvarez nets brace as Man City beat Burnley 3-1

Manchester City continued their stellar run of form in the English Premier League, dispatching Burnley 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium to remain hot on the heels of leaders Liverpool. A sublime Julian Alvarez brace and a Rodri strike paved the way for a routine victory over the beleaguered Clarets.

The omens did not bode well for Burnley even before kick-off, with City netting 32 unanswered goals in their previous meetings. Alvarez seized his opportunity on his 24th birthday in the continued absence of Erling Haaland.

The Argentine opened the scoring by heading home a pinpoint Matheus Nunes cross, before capitalising on a clever Kevin De Bruyne free-kick routine to double his tally.

Burnley briefly threatened through Lyle Foster before the break but found themselves three goals behind just 27 seconds after the interval, thanks to Rodri’s composed finish. The visitors finally breached City’s defence in added time via Ameen Al-Dakhil, but it only served as a consolation effort.

The result leaves Burnley languishing in 19th, without a win in five matches and seven points adrift of safety. Manager Vincent Kompany faces a daunting trio of games against Fulham, Liverpool and Arsenal. City meanwhile look poised to capitalise on upcoming clashes with Brentford and Everton to maintain pressure on Liverpool.