MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City coasted into the fifth round of the FA Cup with an easy 5-0 win over Premier League rivals Burnley on Saturday. Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring in the first half before Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, a Kevin Long own goal and Sergio Aguero penalty wrapped up the win.
Positives
It was a surprise to see Aguero start the Carabao Cup semifinal against Burton Albion in midweek, but Pep Guardiola clearly wants to maintain the confidence of Gabriel by playing in the biggest game of the week. The Brazilian now has twice as many goals as any Premier League striker in 2019 and it’s a huge positive to have two strikers near their best going into the final months of the season.
Negatives
Burnley created very little but were presented with a huge chance to equalise when Nicolas Otamendi overran the ball. City are back playing close to their best football and when they are so dominant, the odd simple slip of concentration can arise and, in tight games, could prove costly.
Manager rating out of 10
7 — Guardiola said that the idea of winning four trophies this season is a “fantasy,” but the Catalan is taking every competition seriously. It was a surprisingly strong lineup, although he experimented with his formation with Riyad Mahrez playing predominantly as a left winger. This side was always going to be too strong for Burnley, and he was able to give players a rest in the second half.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Ederson, 6 — One of the few first-choice Premier League players to feature in the FA Cup, but he had such a comfortable afternoon, City could virtually have had anybody in goal.
DF Kyle Walker, 5 — For the second successive weekend, the England full-back made a rash challenge that could conceivably have been a red. Got forward well but gave the ball away on a couple of occasions.
Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus were unstoppable in Man City’s dominant win over Burnley.
DF John Stones, 6 — A comfortable afternoon when the centre-back could concentrate on pushing City forward.
DF Nicolas Otamendi, 5 — Had a couple of uncomfortable moments early on from the lively Matej Vydra and gifted the Czech striker a golden opportunity at the start of the second half that he put wide.
DF Danilo, 7 — Another strong performance at left-back. Forced a good save from Nick Pope and claimed an assist for Gabriel’s opener.
MF Fernandinho, 7 — Surprising starter with tough Premier League games at Newcastle and Arsenal coming up this week but showed his quality by controlling the midfield before sitting out the final 35 minutes.
MF Kevin De Bruyne, 9 — Guardiola has been giving him plenty of time on the pitch recently and he looks close to his absolute best. Some outstanding passes in the final third, a usual assist and a stunning strike.
MF Ilkay Gundogan, 7 — Broke forward well and linked up neatly with De Bruyne and Fernandinho as City controlled possession.
FW Bernardo Silva, 7 — Has benefitted from a bit of a break in recent weeks after starting just one of City’s past five matches. Looked fresh, almost scored in the first half and got lucky with a deflected goal in the second.
FW Gabriel Jesus, 8 — The Brazilian striker is back at the top of his game and scored an excellent individual goal, beating one man and shooting low under Pope.
FW Riyad Mahrez, 6 — A couple of lovely moments of skill as he stretched the Burnley defence by sticking close to the touchline.
Substitutes
MF David Silva, 6 — Kept City moving forward and won a penalty.
FW Sergio Aguero, N/R — Got on the score sheet with a spot kick.
MF Phil Foden, N/R — Helped tear the Clarets apart late on.
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