Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say fair play as Burnley's quality was summed up with one sweet strike.
City had restricted the visitors to half chances in the opening period. That was until Manuel Benson cut in on his left foot and fired a brilliant effort into the top corner leaving Max O'Leary with absolutely no chance.
For a final spectacle at Ashton Gate this season, it was a relatively entertaining affair. City were too passive in the first half, almost showing the champions too much respect before they emerged with more intent in the second half.
A triple substitution just before the hour mark made an immediate impact as Andi Weimann surged forward, slipped in Tommy Conway who finished coolly beyond the Burnley stopper to notch his 12th of the season.
Two minutes later and City fell behind when Alex Scott made a rare error, gifting the ball to Jay Rodriguez who finished beyond O'Leary to hand Vincent Kompany's side the three points.
The game did have an end-of-season feel about it with both sides having little to play for but City rallied in the final 20 minutes with Weimann almost grabbing a leveller when he headed into the corner before Nahki Wells was adjudged to have fouled his man in the build-up.
Here's the verdict as City's final game at Ashton Gate this season ends in defeat.
Alex Scott's last dance?
There was a poignant moment during the lap of honour as Section 82 belted out a rendition of Scott's version of Supertramp's 'Logical Song' as the players made their way around the corner of the pitch.
Scott just stood there for a brief moment or two soaking in the noise and the atmosphere before raising his hands in applause. He turned away for a few seconds before facing the City fans once again, giving himself a moment to reflect on the superb, continued support of the home faithful.
There were no waves, no real inclination of a goodbye message but there was a feeling of an unspoken parting message as the Premier League beckons. There is, of course, the possibility that Scott will stay next season unless a club meets the £25million asking price but the general consensus given the amount of interest is that he will leave.
If it does happen, it wouldn't have been the performance he would have wanted to sign off with. It was his error that proved costly but Scott has plenty of credit in the bank for a string of consistent and at times, sublime performances since the beginning of last season.
Pearson said after the game that the occasion didn't weigh on his mind but as a 19-year-old, whose future is constantly in the spotlight, it's difficult to imagine how it couldn't have had an impact on his performance.
Even with his stark maturity and humility for such a young player, to potentially play his final home match at a club that has nurtured his talent since he arrived on a free transfer at the age of 16, would have surely played on his mind.
Cast your memory back to 12 months ago when Han-Noah Massengo was overwhelmed by the occasion as he shed a tear during his lap of honour, believing he had played his final game for the club. After that game, Pearson admitted he had found the situation difficult to deal with.
Players of Scott's talent don't come around very often and it could be a very long time until we get to see somebody of his level come through the ranks again (unless Tommy Conway has something to say about that). If that was his last dance at Ashton Gate, he will depart with the best wishes of everyone associated with the red half of Bristol.
Burnley set the standard
Their opening goal was befitting of the champions as Benson turned on his left foot and found the top corner - amazingly that's the fourth consecutive game in a row where he has scored goals of similar ilk.
Despite the brilliance of it, Pearson wasn't happy with the way his team defended it having worked on that potential eventuality throughout the week. He said after the game: "Disappointed with the two goals really. We talked all week about not letting him come inside on his left peg but there we go, so that was disappointing."
Burnley have been head and shoulders above the rest of the Championship throughout the season. Vincent Kompany deserves huge credit for the way he has changed the style of play, turning the Clarets from a direct side to one that dominates the ball.
They had 58.9 per cent of possession, making a total of 586 passes compared to City's 395 while 81 per cent of those were deemed accurate, according to WhoScored. Yes, their financial clout is a big advantage with the parachute payments they have received alongside the £70m worth of talent they sold in the summer.
Money doesn't always bring success, there has to be a structure behind the scenes - just look at Chelsea for example. But what Burnley do have is consistency which has proven the foundations of their success.
The gulf in class was evident at times, particularly in the first half, but the two narrow 2-1 defeats encountered against Burnley this season show that City aren't *that* far away from being able to compete with the best sides in the division.
City lost by one goal in their two matches against Premier League-bound Sheffield United this season, they lost 1-0 away at third-place Luton, beating them at home and drew both home and away against Middlesbrough.
All attentions are looking ahead to next season now and there's every right to feel optimistic. With some fine-tuning and new additions in the transfer market, City have to be challenging for the top six.
The structure and the plan are in place, the recruitment team have their targets identified and there's some money to spend. With that, expectations are naturally raised and with the financial reset now back to a relatively sustainable level, they'll be little excuses if the club aren't in the play-off mix next campaign.
Missing Mehmeti
Nigel Pearson wasn't particularly thrilled when he was asked about Anis Mehmeti's lack of recent game time ahead of the Burnley fixture in his pre-match press conference. In his last six games, including yesterday, he has made just four brief substitute appearances totalling 42 minutes.
His response on Thursday was: "Listen he is a player who is for now and the future. I have absolutely no doubt that he will be a big player for us. I don’t worry about things like that and he is working really hard.
"When he gets his opportunity we will do what we always do and that is to support and get the best out of them. He’ll be fine, I think he started his time here really well.
"He’s probably put himself under a bit too much pressure. You’ve got to remember he has had rejection before and he’s desperate to do well and he will do well here. He’s got a full cap for his country and he will continue to be an important member of our squad for the rest of the season and moving forward."
For the first time since joining City on transfer deadline day, Mehmeti was left out of the matchday squad as Tomas Kalas returned to the squad. Pearson could name another strong and experienced bench, which included Nahki Wells, Mark Sykes and Andi Weimann, meaning the Albanian international fell victim to City getting players back from injury.
He wasn't injured as he was going through shuttle runs before kick-off, another sign of his determination to succeed, but he can feel hard done by after missing out on the matchday squad entirely. As Pearson said above, he'll no doubt have a big part to play going forward and a full pre-season will only help his cause to make a big impact in this side.
He'll no doubt feel frustrated given his ambitions but he can use this as a learning curve in his young career and a source of motivation to make a statement when he eventually returns to action.
Conway's future challenge
It's a sign of a top striker when they have a quiet game only to pop up with a goal when chances are at a premium. It was an underrated finish from the young forward, showing composure in the area to cooly beat the Burnley keeper at his near post.
Conway only had five touches in the first half, two of those coming in Burnley's half. It was a frustrating game for him, tasked with chasing lost causes and putting pressure on the ball as the visitors stroked the ball around at the back.
He was more lively in the second half (15 touches in the 90 minutes) as City played more on the front foot. Conway is slowly becoming one of the first names on the team-sheet and let's not forget, that goal took him to 12 for the season and the frontrunner for the golden boot with one game to play.
If he does finish as City's top scorer, it's a brilliant achievement for a player making his breakthrough campaign - notwithstanding the fact he missed 11 games with a hamstring injury in the New Year.
But it will bring a new challenge for him heading into next season and one that will help him develop as a player. There's been little pressure on his shoulders over the course of the campaign but with his growing influence in this side, Conway will have to deal with the heightened expectation.
When Pearson addressed his achievement after the game, he said: "Today is a really important game for him. One which as a striker he spends a lot of time working for the team, but he's still got to be in the moment enough that when he gets his chance he can take it.
"There were times in the first half when he got a bit frustrated, but he stayed alert enough that when an opportunity came around he was composed enough to take it."
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