Burnley midfielder Cork keen to extend proud record against champions

The Clarets have beaten the holders of the Premier League trophy in each of their seasons so far, starting with Manchester United in 2009 courtesy of Robbie Blake’s strike.

George Boyd sealed a 1-0 win over Manchester City during the 2014/15 campaign, they beat Leicester City by the same scoreline at Turf Moor in 2017 - with Sam Vokes grabbing a late winner - and they saw off nine-man Chelsea in a five-goal thriller at the start of last term.

Pep Guardiola’s treble-seeking City are the visitors to Turf Moor tomorrow and Cork is looking to extend their fine record against the best side in England while mathematically securing their future at this level.

He said: “It would be nice, wouldn’t it? With the last four games we have, if we got some results, especially against Man City - it would be awesome.

“If the goal difference stays as it is then yes, it’ll be great to stay in the Premier League with the money that’s spent and the way it’s evolving. It’s a great achievement every time we do it.

“The aim is always to stay in the Premier League, even when we qualified for Europe. Nine points clear with a big goal difference, it’s a good position to be in with three games to go.

“If we looked at it in December time, it would have been unbelievable to be in the position we are in now. Fair play to everyone who’s worked hard to get this for us.”

The Clarets have accumulated 28 points since Boxing Day, the joint fifth best return in the division, but Cork says that they’ve had to draw on all their reserves to reach this point.

“We’ve all had a really good go at it since January,” he said. “It’s been a tough three or four months for everyone.

“We just needed everyone to work hard and now we’re not far off the likes of Bournemouth and Watford.”