City crush Burnley 5-0 in FA Cup

Manchester City eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup as they thrashed Burnley at Etihad Stadium.

Gabriel Jesus scored with a low strike after a fine run, although Matej Vydra wasted a good chance to equalise.

That miss proved to be costly as Bernardo Silva’s shot went through Nick Pope’s hands, before Kevin de Bruyne added a third with a powerful effort.

Kevin Long’s own goal made it 4-0 and a Sergio Aguero penalty, after David Silva was fouled, sealed the rout.

City, who last won the competition in 2011, have now scored 30 goals in seven games in 2019, while Burnley suffered their first defeat in six matches.

Pep Guardiola’s side won the Premier League and Carabao Cup last season and are still on course for a quadruple in 2018-19.

They face Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, play a Schalke side who are in the bottom half of the German Bundesliga in the Champions League last 16, are only four points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool and are now into the last 16 of the FA Cup.

Playing their seventh of eight games in January, they dominated from the start against Burnley, with Jesus not far from connecting with De Bruyne’s low cross, before Bernardo and Danilo both had shots saved by Pope.

But one-time England international Pope – making only his third appearance of the season – was helpless to stop Jesus’ powerful low strike that gave the hosts a 23rd-minute lead.

With Burnley 16th in the Premier League, manager Sean Dyche opted to make seven changes, and his side failed to have a single shot on target as City totalled 75% possession.

However, the visitors should have scored within three minutes of the restart when Otamendi gave the ball to Vydra but the Czech Republic international shot wastefully wide with only Ederson to beat.

Within five minutes of that miss, it was 2-0 as Bernardo’s low shot took a deflection and went through the arms of Pope.

The Burnley goalkeeper made up for that error as he tipped Riyad Mahrez’s effort wide, although he had no chance with De Bruyne’s well-struck effort for City’s third goal.

Clarets defender Long then put the ball into his own net for City’s fourth when De Bruyne’s powerful cross hit him and went in.

Long’s day got even worse with a needless foul on David Silva and Aguero – on as a 75th minute substitute – made it 5-0 from 12 yards to seal a routine victory for the home side.

-BBC