Riyad Mahrez grabbed himself a hat-trick to help Manchester City ease to a very convincing 5-0 win over a disappointing Burnley side at the Etihad on Saturday.
The hosts took the lead in just the sixth minute, Riyad Mahrez cooly rounding off a lovely move after a well-timed pass from Kevin De Bruyne. The Algerian doubled his tally on 22 minutes with a clever finish after some woeful defending by the away side.
FULL-TIME | ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 28, 2020
? 5-0 ⚫️ #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/tCGjrFkqPQ
Benjamin Mendy made matters even worse for Burnley when he fired in sublimely from another De Bruyne pass four minutes before half time. The Sky Blues extended their advantage midway through the second half through Ferran Torres, the Spaniard rounding off a well-worked move. Pep Guardiola's men very quickly then made it 5-0 with Mahrez completing his hat-trick with a powerful header.
City thought they had made it six through Gabriel Jesus, but he was adjudged to have been offside. Fortunately for Sean Dyche, there wasn't any more damage done before the final whistle - but it was a convincing win for the hosts.
Right, let's get into some player ratings, shall we? Oh, go on then!
Manchester City
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Ederson (GK) - 6/10 - Was very rarely called into action, but dealt well with anything that came his way.
Kyle Walker (RB) - 6/10 - Enjoyed himself down the right, bursting forward throughout to provide an overlap for Mahrez, who looked to drift in.
John Stones (CB) - 7/10 - Stones was given a rare opportunity to start in the Premier League, and will be pleased to keep a clean sheet. Stepped forward time and time again to get involved in the attacks as well. Composed display.
Ruben Dias (CB) - 7/10 - Dominant at the back, never allowing the Burnley frontline to get a glimpse of the ball. Didn't have much to do at all, but whatever was required, he did it well.
Benjamin Mendy (LB) - 7/10 - Mendy needed to take his chance in the team - and he did just that. His crossing wasn't always perfect, but he was a real threat down the left throughout the game and scored a delightful goal as well.
2. Midfielders
Rodri (CM) - 6/10 - Rodri was calm in his work, spotting any danger and nipping in to prevent Burnley from getting out before getting his side playing on the front foot. Kept the team ticking over nicely.
Ilkay Gundogan (CM) - 6/10 - Provided balance in the midfield, helping City take control in the centre of the park and dominate proceedings. Wasn't spectacular, but contributed well.
Kevin De Bruyne (CM) - 9/10 - De Bruyne was at his sparkling, menacing best on Saturday - and Burnley hadn't a clue how to deal with him. Two assists to add to his collection and an overall near faultless display.
3. Forwards
Riyad Mahrez (RW) - 10/10 - Burnley fans must really hate the sight of Mahrez. The winger was outstanding, taking his hat-trick wonderfully.
Ferran Torres (LW) - 8/10 - Provided the width down the left, knowing when to come in and open up the space for Mendy to attack. Took his goal well as well. A real talent.
Gabriel Jesus (ST) - 7/10 - Typically hard working, drifting wide to link play with his teammates and finding pockets of space to work in. No goal, but a strong display from the Brazilian.
4. Substitutes
Fernandinho - 6/10
Phil Foden - 7/10
Eric Garcia - 6/10
Burnley
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Bailey Peacock-Farrell (GK) - 3/10 - It won't have been the Premier League debut the shot-stopper would have been dreaming of, that's for sure. Was shaky at points, but couldn't really have done much about any of City's goals.
Matt Lowton (RB) - 3/10 - Couldn't deal with the runs of Torres and Mendy, constantly being outnumbered and played around.
James Tarkowski (CB) - 3/10 - Was unable to have any real influence and didn't exactly do much to motivate his players and inspire a fightback either.
Ben Mee (CB) - 4/10 - Constantly faced with the task of dealing with the movement of Walker, Mahrez and De Bruyne - he was never protected by the midfield and was left exposed in one vs one situations.
Charlie Taylor (LB) - 3/10 - A very tough afternoon for Taylor and one he will likely be keen to forget. Couldn't deal with Mahrez, and was particularly poor for the Algerian's second goal.
6. Midfielders
Jay Rodriguez (RM) - 4/10 - Always pushed back, Rodriguez was never really able to get forward and support the attacks as he would have liked. Frustrating afternoon.
Ashley Westwood (CM) - 5/10 - Overrun in midfield and played around, but couldn't really have done much more. Looked to break forward and link play when given the opportunity, which wasn't very often.but still.
Josh Benson (CM) - 4/10 - Benson was thrown in at the deep end as he made his Premier League debut as well against City, and he will come away having learned a number of valuable lessons. Almost grabbed a debut goal.
Dwight McNeil (LM) - 4/10 - Often found himself drifting in-field just to try and get on the ball. Wasn't given any real room to test the City backline with teasing crosses, however.
7. Forwards
Chris Wood (ST) - 5/10 - Was desperately waiting for simply anything to come his way to attack, but chances were very hard to come by.
Ashley Barnes (ST) - 5/10 - Like his strike partner, Barnes was often left frustrated by a lack of service. Was mainly pressing out of possession.
8. Substitutes
Erik Peters - 4/10
Matej Vydra - 4/10
Source: 90min
