manchester city vs burnley: Man City Shines with 6-0 win over Burnley
Manchester City vs Burnley - City dominated Burnley in a 6-0 victory during the FA Cup quarterfinals at the Etihad Stadium, thanks in large part to Erling Haaland's sixth hat-trick of the season.
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Haaland's three goals complemented those scored by Julian Alvarez, who netted two, and Cole Palmer.
Vincent Kompany, who was making his return to the east Manchester area as the manager of Burnley, utilized his intricate knowledge of the Guardiola playbook during the game's early stages, enabling Burnley to press effectively and set traps for City's defense in possession.
Kompany's strategy initially resulted in a tight game, as Burnley's top scorer Nathan Tella saw his shot saved by City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega. However, the game opened up when Haaland scored his first goal in the 32nd minute and added another three minutes later, with City's Phil Foden providing the assist for both.
Haaland continued to terrorize Burnley in the second half, adding his third goal of the game after a deflected shot from Foden came back off the post, and Alvarez scored his second after being set up by Kevin De Bruyne. Cole Palmer then scored the game's sixth goal, with De Bruyne providing the assist once again.
Haaland's double hat-trick, with eight goals over the course of the week, puts him on 42 for the season in all competitions. If City advance past Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and win the FA Cup semifinals and finals, Haaland could potentially play 18 more games this season. A goal a game from this point forward would take Haaland to 60 if City go the distance in all three competitions.
This is a revered mark in English football, the all-time record individual haul in a single league season, set by Everton great Dixie Dean in 1927/28. Sixty goals in the Premier League alone is beyond even Haaland, but Dean hit 63 in all competitions that year. At his current rate, Haaland can match that, which is an impressive feat.
City are now unbeaten in 10 matches and have won six in a row, leading some to wonder whether they could win the treble. However, Guardiola lamented his side's performances in FA Cup semifinals, having seen them knocked out at that stage in each of the past three seasons.
City's schedule is packed with six games left in May, and the route to Champions League glory is a perilous one that was mapped out this week, adding to the sense that something will have to give as City chase honours on three fronts.
