For half an hour Burnley would have been delighted with how their afternoon at the Etihad was going. They had frustrated Manchester City, caused Pep Guardiola anxiety on the touchline and made Erling Haaland angry with his own teammates.
City just couldn't find a way through the Clarets. So they went over them instead. It can feel almost unfair at times. You work so hard to stop Guardiola's team playing, to cut off their passing routes and reduce their options, but then they go and score from a long ball.
But this is no stroke of luck for City. While they were getting frustrated by Burnley's aggression and intensity, Guardiola was working on solutions. He signalled for Stefan Ortega, who had 43 touches in the first 45 minutes, to take the option to go long when it was on.
