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Manchester City bounced back from their Premier League humbling by Leicester City with a 3-0 EFL Cup victory over Burnley, with Raheem Sterling scoring twice and Ferran Torres netting his first goal for the club.
A 5-2 home reverse on Sunday left Pep Guardiola’s men in need of a result and a performance to steady their burgeoning season.
Sterling thrived on the industry of Kevin De Bruyne, Torres and teenage debutant Cole Palmer throughout a one-sided match and scored with neat finishes in either half at Turf Moor.
Guardiola, who is aiming to win the competition for a fourth successive time, saw his £20.9m (€22.1m) signing from Valencia make it 3-0 with a cool finish in the 65th minute as City reached the quarter-finals.
Burnley found themselves under pressure from the outset and Sterling volleyed a Torres cross narrowly wide from six yards out.
The Clarets had goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell to thank for keeping them in the game, the Northern Ireland international twice getting down quickly to save low shots from Sterling.
There was no stopping the England winger when Benjamin Mendy’s low pass from the left found him 12 yards from goal and he slammed the ball into the corner of the net with no hesitation.
Sterling doubled City’s lead three minutes into the second half, neatly turning Torres’ cross into the bottom corner of the net from close range after De Bruyne’s surging run carved Burnley open.
Less than 10 minutes later Riyad Mahrez’s pass was touched on by Sterling into the path of Torres, who carried the ball into the box before rattling it low into the far corner of the net from 18 yards.
What it means? Reasons for Pep to be cheerful
On a night when his side recovered well from a shock defeat, Guardiola will have been pleased to see Aymeric Laporte make his return from injury and Zack Steffen keep his first clean sheet for the club.
De Bruyne keeps Sterling well fed
City mustered just five shots on target as they slipped to defeat at home to Leicester, but the quality of supply from De Bruyne, ably assisted by Palmer, ensured Sterling kept Peacock-Farrell busy.
Lowton endures torrid night with Torres
Much of City’s best opportunities came via attacks down their left side, where Torres was given ample room in which to operate by sluggish Burnley full-back Matthew Lowton.
What’s next?
Guardiola takes his side to Elland Road to face newly promoted Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, while Burnley make the trip to Newcastle United.
BURNLEY SUBS: Chris Wood, Will Norris, Phil Bardsley, Jimmy Dunne, Josh Benson, Mace Goodridge, Anthony Driscoll-Glennon.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Bailey Peacock-Farrell; Matt Lowton, Kyle Long, James Tarkowski, Charlie Taylor; Dwight McNeil, Josh Brownhill, Ashley Westwood, Erik Pieters; Matej Vydra, Ashley Barnes.
Manchester City suffered a humbling defeat at the weekend at the hands of Leicester City in the Premier League. Guardiola conceded five goals for the first time as a manager as Jamie Vardy ran rampant. City edged out Bournemouth on home soil in their last EFL Cup contest to advance to the fourth round. Their defensive lapses will give the Spaniard cause for concern against Burnley tonight.
Burnley have endured a disappointing start to the season in the Premier League, losing both of their opening matches, including their last outing against Southampton. However, they have been successful in the EFL Cup thus far, defeating Sheffield United on penalties and Millwall to advance. Tests do not come tougher than facing City and the Clarets will have to be flawless against Pep Guardiola’s men.
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the EFL Cup fourth round clash between Burnley and Manchester City at Turf Moor.
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MANCHESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Zack Steffen; Kyle Walker, Fernandinho, Aymeric Laporte, Bernard Mendy; Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri; Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez, Ferran Torres; Cole Palmer.