Burnley 1 Manchester City 1: Five things we learned

Pressing against Manchester City is certainly a valuable way of disrupting their play, as Bristol City and Liverpool have proved recently, but you have to pick your moments.

Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes stayed high up the pitch when Ederson was in possession, with Jeff Hendrick and Jack Cork joining them to close down the space if City started to play.

But the pressing game has to come with a note of caution as well. City can beat it quickly these days, either through Ederson’s traction engine of a left foot which can launch the ball, even off the ground, to 10 yards short of the opposition’s box, or through a quick pass into midfield when Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan usually turn defence into attack rapidly.

Burnley got the balance just about right yesterday.

GUDMUNDSSON’S GOALS

Johann Berg Gudmundsson has often spoken of his desire to add more goals to his game in the Premier League and he’s starting to do just that.

Until New Year’s Day he had just one in 46 in a Burnley shirt, but his late Turf Moor strikes against Liverpool and Manchester City have got him two goals in his last six games and both have come by getting in more advanced positions at the back post.

His first came when he was playing on the right, with the ball on the left, reacting quickest to convert against Liverpool from inside the six-yard box.

It was a similar story against City, although this time he was playing on the left with the ball on the right. He reacted quickest again, made his run goalwards at the back post and steered a smart finish into the back of the net.

Goals haven’t been easy to come by for the Clarets so if Gudmundsson can continue to get in these positions it can only help.

HENDRICK’S ROLE

The injury to Steven Defour and Sean Dyche’s decision to go with two up front saw Jeff Hendrick return to a deeper midfield role from the start on Saturday, with Ashley Westwood perhaps a little unfortunate to find himself back on the bench.

But there’s no doubt that Hendrick suits this role better than his more advanced midfield position, playing just behind the lone striker when Dyche opts for that formation.

Hendrick can provide a physical and energetic presence in that position, but he often has to play with his back to goal and it doesn’t suit him.

On Saturday he could get on the ball facing forward with most of the game in front of him and he looked far more assured as a result.

RARING TO GO

Matt Lowton may have considered himself a touch unlucky not to be back in the starting line-up against City, but when his chance came off the bench he took it.

Since picking up an injury in the defeat to Arsenal at the end of November Lowton has had to make do with the 90 minutes at the Etihad in the FA Cup in early January.

But his second half performance was more vindication for Sean Dyche’s ability to keep players on the fringe of his squad hungry and ready to go. Having been kept out by Phil Bardsley Lowton looked a man on a mission to prove he should have that place back.

Bardsley’s hamstring injury will make that a certainty in the short-term, but you’d be hard pressed to argue against it longer-term as well on Saturday’s evidence.

ALLY’S A BUSY MAN

When you’ve got injuries stacking up and a queue for the treatment room at the Barnfield Training Centre you want games to be quiet affairs for the medical team.

That certainly wasn’t the case for head physiotherapist Ally Beattie, who was called on four times in the first 15 minutes alone against City.

The Burnley squad is resembling the walking wounded at the moment and it looked like the casualty list might increase when first Ashley Barnes went down holding his knee.

Then Phil Bardsley and Sam Vokes stayed down from the same defensive corner before Nick Pope also hurt his leg in trying to save from Vincent Kompany.

In the end only the injury to Bardsley proved enough to force him off, but the sight of Beattie back and forth onto the pitch in the early stages was the last thing we wanted to see.