Player ratings as Alvarez brace keeps pressure on Liverpool

Manchester City kept the pressure on Liverpool in the developing Premier League title race with a comfortable win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

It was the first time that City legend Vincent Kompany, having seen his Clarets lose the reverse fixture back in August, had taken a team to his former stomping ground.

But any chance of a shock result was squashed in the first half alone when Julian Alvarez, doing the business in Erling Haaland’s absence from the start – although the Norwegian did make his eagerly awaited return from the bench, scored twice in quick succession inside the opening 22 minutes.

Rodri put the icing on the cake almost immediately after half-time, with Ameen Al Dakhil pulling one back in stoppage to at least tarnish the champions’ clean sheet.

How the game unfolded

The hosts dominated proceedings from the first moments, although it was a slow start from them in terms of chance creation, taking time to feel their way around Burnley and sus out any weakness.

Things finally clicked into gear in the 16th minute as Matheus Nunes was released into space by Phil Foden’s pass. The first attempt at a cross was poor from the Portuguese, but he was fortunate to get a second opportunity and this time found an unmarked Alvarez for a header in the six-yard box.

Jeremy Doku tested James Trafford not long after, with the Burnley goalkeeper able to get away with spilling the ball. But City were quickly two ahead thanks to quick thinking from Kevin De Bruyne, back in top form since returning from injury, sliding the ball into the path of Alvarez to finish.

Burnley could only muster shots wide of the target on occasional forays forward, while Trafford remained busy with a save from Nunes, before Dara O’Shea denied Alvarez a first half hat-trick by intercepting a low cross from Jeremy Doku intended for the waiting Argentine.

City wasted little time after the interval in extending the lead, with De Bruyne and Foden both involved. The latter eventually pulled the ball back to the edge of the area for Rodri to steer in.

A comfortable save from Ederson as Josh Brownhill struck from just outside the box 64 minutes into the game was Burnley’s first shot on target of the night, underlining both City’s stranglehold on the game and a lack of quality from the visitors mired in the relegation zone.

The remainder of the game was mostly a procession, with Haaland desperate to mark his comeback with a goal. The Norwegian was clearly a…