At Turf Moor, Manchester City began the Premier League championship defence with a convincing 3-0 victory, handing Burnley who just returned to the top division their first defeat.
Burnley had been defeated by City in their previous 11 meetings by a combined score of 40-1, therefore their first goal in the fourth minute was expected.
The scorer’s name was also not a surprise; Erling Haaland took advantage of some open space in the congested penalty area to hit Rodri’s headed pass into the bottom corner.
The Golden Boot winner from the previous season then blasted another first-time attempt in off the crossbar in the 36th minute. Rodri added a third goal in the second half, and Anass Zaroury was then given a straight red card for a crude tackle on Kyle Walker following a VAR review.
The ease with which City secured the three points is concerning for the rest of the Premier League, even though they did lose Kevin De Bruyne to yet another injury in the first half.
