Burnley 0-3 Manchester City
by James Nalton
at Turf Moor

TOP-FLIGHT football returned to the heart of Lancashire, one of the true homes of professional association football, for the 2023/24 Premier League season.

The opening game saw newly promoted Burnley welcome a Manchester City team that have won the league in five of the past six seasons.

As would have been widely expected before the game, it was one City won comfortably, but Burnley could also take a few positives.

Burnley fans were buoyed by the return and there was a good, jovial atmosphere around the ground before and after the game.

City striker Erling Haaland, who finished the previous season as the league’s top scorer with 36 goals, continued doing what he does, scoring with little over three minutes played and then again before half time.

The evening was soured somewhat by an incident where a lighter was thrown at City full-back Rico Lewis. Almost by a pitch invader, too, but they didn’t get far before being taken down.

The conditions were ideal for football. The tail end of summer provided pleasant conditions for spectators and the evening breeze made it comfortable for players.

A pre-match light show was thwarted by the lingering sun that lit up Turf Moor for much of the first half.

It was a half also lit up by the goals of Haaland. The big Norwegian barely touched the ball other than to put it in the back of the net twice before ever-impressive holding midfielder Rodri finished the job in the second half.

The new-look Burnley, the Vincent Kompany version that replaced the Sean Dyche version, cannot be judged on one game against the best team in Europe.

There were plenty of positives in their play in and out of possession that could trouble other teams.

But they need to make sure that looking good while still losing isn’t a theme of their season in order to continue to represent Lancashire, the home of football, in England’s top flight.