Man City 5-1 Burnley: Maxime Esteve scores two own goals before Erling Haaland's brace takes City up to fourth
Report and free match highlights as two Maxime Esteve own goals as well as strikes by Matheus Nunes and Erling Haaland (2) took Manchester City to a 5-1 win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium; Jaidon Anthony’s goal for Scott Parker’s side was in vain
Saturday 27 September 2025 19:18, UK
Maxime Esteve scored two own goals before a late Erling Haaland double took Manchester City to a 5-1 win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
The scoreline made the victory look easier than it was for Pep Guardiola's players. Although Esteve prodded the ball into his own net early on after good work by Jeremy Doku, Burnley found a first-half equaliser when Jaidon Anthony's effort deflected off Ruben Dias.
Without key man Rodri through injury, City found it tricky to pick out the precision passes that could unlock a Scott Parker side that defended resolutely, with the former City defender Kyle Walker among those making the game a difficult one for his old team-mates.
But though Lyle Foster went close to giving the Clarets the lead early in the second half, Matheus Nunes volleyed in on the hour before the hapless Esteve beat Martin Dubravka once more when he diverted the Portuguese full-back's cross beyond the goalkeeper.
Erling Haaland capped it off with two late goals, the first set up by the hugely-impressive Doku. The victory lifts Guardiola's side up to fourth. Burnley remain out of the relegation zone by a single point but will drop in if Aston Villa avoid defeat on Sunday.
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Player of the match: Jeremy Doku
Doku now has three assists in his last three Premier League games for Manchester City, more than he had managed in his previous 17 appearances in the competition. The Belgian received a standing ovation when announced as the man of the match.
Haaland bagged his goals late on but Doku looked the man most likely to make the difference for City throughout. Guardiola has long called him the fastest player around over five metres, unstoppable in those small spaces, but he is in the form of his life.
Guardiola: Our spirit is much better
Manchester City's Pep Guardiola speaking to Sky Sports:
"Really good. Except maybe 10 to 15 minutes when we dropped our rhythm to play.
"Burnley, all their other results were so tight but we scored five goals.
"The second half, from minute one was so different. Really pleased of the game we played. The Premier League, it's so tough. Since the United game, our spirit is much, much better. If we don't play good, we defend as a group. The solidarity is beyond extraordinary. We made a good result.
"[Kyle] Walker played a really good game, it's not easy to stop Jeremy Doku in his prime."
Parker: Score doesn't reflect game
Burnley boss Scott Parker speaking to Sky Sports:
"Performance-wise, I was delighted for 60 to 70 minutes. They showed every bit from what I wanted us from this game. We were right in the game.
"Of course, you're up against a colossus club with world class talent. We had to suffer at times, but we also needed to be brave and courageous today and showed our quality, we did that for a large part of it.
"Two goals come back to back that put a massive dent in us and the game goes away from us a bit. I don't think the scoreline really reflects that there were massive positives for us from the first part of that game.
"My feeling watching that game, looking at my team, is we played very, very well. The back end there are bits that are disappointing. I understand that, because you're playing against a team where the game can quickly move away from you.
"You can come to Man City and get beat comfortably, I've seen world class teams have those problems. We take the positives from today and understand the moments we can improve, we keep going."
