Talking Points: Burnley 0 Manchester City 2

Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling netted in the first half to ensure Pep Guardiola’s side matched Arsenal’s run in 2002.

The visitors, who finished with 74% possession, took the lead after just three minutes.

Jesus was the first to react to the loose ball after Nick pope had failed to deal with Bernardo Silva’s strike.

And Sterling found the net in the 38th minute when turning home Ilkay Gundogen’s cross from close range.

Here are the talking points.

LOOKALIKES

There was no getting away from Sean Dyche’s chitter-chatter about ‘lookalikes’ in the build up to Burnley’s game against Premier League leaders Manchester City.

The Clarets chief became an internet sensation after his five-minute prelude to Tuesday’s press conference was met with warm appreciation.

Marvel superheroes and computer-animated Pixar characters were on the agenda before Dyche’s own concessions came to the fore.

With all eyes and ears on the Burnley boss, via the usual Zoom arrangement, he disputed comparisons to ex-England midfielder Paul Scholes and TV and radio personality Chris Evans.

But the former centre back, 49, wasn’t as quick to deflect claims that he resembled flame-haired blue-eyed soul singer Mick Hucknall.

“It’s uncanny you say that,” joked Dyche. “Apparently I look very much like Chris Evans too. Personally speaking I can’t see it, but apparently I do.

“Thank you very much for reminding everyone of that clear fact that I, obviously, do look like Mick Hucknall.”

Dyche is hardly a dead-ringer for the Simply Red frontman, it’s a slightly tenuous link.

In fact comparisons between the two are probably as far apart as the chasm that separates the Clarets and Pep Guardiola’s title challengers.

Performances in the latest encounter, like many others previously, weren’t exactly what you’d call a ‘mirror image’.

It was attack versus defence for the most part as the visitors cruised to an eighth win on the bounce against Burnley and a 20th success from their last 27 meetings.

The hosts did what they had to do well after City had taken a two-goal lead, but the game was dead and buried as a contest by the interval.

The visitors were in complete control, fashioning 19 attempts on goal, with Nick Pope, partly at fault for the opener, saving well from Sterling and Riyad Mahrez.

The Algerian international, who scored a hat-trick against Dyche’s men at the Etihad earlier in the season, also had a goal chalked off when the linesman’s flag was raised from a Jesus centre.

“We did okay overall, but you can’t start like we did,” said Dyche.

“You don’t want to start like that against sides like City, but we did reasonably well with our defensive shape and organisation.

“I thought we did well in the second half. At 2-0 the game can get away from you really quickly but it didn’t.

“We were diligent with our shape but, equally, we tried to affect the game.

“It’s very difficult with these sides. Overall, with the challenges that we’ve got, I’m pretty pleased with the players.”

REALITY BOUND

Sometimes you’ve just got to sit back, take everything in, analyse it all in a rational manner and look at the bigger picture.

Dyche won’t be too downbeat about losing to City’s smartly, and expensively, assembled unit.

You start to understand what you’re up against when calculating that City’s starting XI was pushing £500m in transfer fees.

The individual pricetags hanging off the majority of the away side’s starting line-up was worth more than the Clarets’ squad in its entirety.

Add the fact that the hosts were without five key players into the mix - with Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes, Josh Brownhill, Charlie Taylor and Robbie Brady all sidelined - and you can start to gauge the true disparity.

So we can’t overthink this one. Instead, we can reflect on a highly impressive return of six points from four extremely difficult fixtures on paper and in practice.

Six points from games away at Arsenal and Chelsea with home matches with Aston Villa and City thrown in for good measure.

Games in which those on the outside looking in had given us very little hope of getting anything.

And, in doing so, the Clarets have opened up an eight-point cushion from the bottom three, having played a game less.

Dyche said: “There’s a reality to the challenges of the Premier League, which we’re well versed in, we understand them.

“We’ve taken six points out of the last four games against three-and-a-half big sides.

“The reason I say ‘three-and-a-half’ is because Villa are emerging.

“That was a big win, especially having gone behind twice. It was a great win at Liverpool, quite obviously, and a very good cup win.

“Would you take six points out of those games? Yes, you certainly would.

“That’s an important six points across those four games for us against some good sides.”

STATS DON’T LIE

There’s certainly room for improvement for the Clarets in all areas of the pitch.

The Premier League’s lowest scorers haven’t had a shot on target in their past couple of league games.

But the club’s struggles don’t begin and end there.

Analysis from the CIES Football Observatory Performance Atlas shows that their problems run much deeper than that.

The Clarets, who are averaging 3.2 shots on target per game, which is the fifth worst return in the Premier League, are below the curve in many fields

Only Newcastle United (78.6) and West Brom (75.3) have managed to clock up less passes in the opponent’s third than Burnley (80.3), which explains the lack of ‘big chances’ created.

Cadiz (37.9), Newcastle (37.7) and West Brom (35.7) are the only three sides from the ‘big five’ European leagues to see less of the ball than the Clarets (38.9%).

And Alaves (75.1), West Brom (75), Eibar (75) and Granada (74.5) are the only clubs from those major championships with a worse pass accuracy rating than Sean Dyche’s side (75.2%).

Also, in terms of shots on target conceded, only Schalke and West Brom have suffered a greater bombardment on average than Burnley (6.6) with Cadiz, Spurs and the Baggies the only trio to concede more passes in their own third (145.5).

I feel like I might be digging myself a deeper grave if I continue, but it’s worth pointing out another quite incredible statistic.

Of the 509 clubs ranked from 31 European leagues - dated up to January 25th - just eight clubs were averaging more shots per goal than Burnley (16.1).

Or, to put it bluntly, 500 clubs across the continent have been more clinical so far this season!