Aguero double sends City top

Aguero

Sergio Aguero scored twice as Manchester City came back from a goal down to earn a hard-fought win at Burnley and claim back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time since September.

The home side might have had a penalty before surprisingly taking lead when City defender Nicolas Otamendi could only head a clearance straight to Clarets midfielder Dean Marney, who volleyed in from 25 yards.

City struggled for fluency but Aguero equalised when he poked in a shot at the far post after a corner was deflected into his path.

The visitors controlled the game after the break and took the lead when a Fernandinho cross hit Aguero and went in after some sloppy Burnley defending.

Clarets defender Michael Keane had a late header blocked by Aleksandar Kolarov and an overhead kick from Ashley Barnes was saved by City keeper Claudio Bravo but Burnley failed to prevent a third home loss in the top flight this season.

This was hardly City at their best but their battling win highlighted their squad strength and battling spirit at what is proving one of the tougher trips in the Premier League this season.

City boss Pep Guardiola was worried about the toll on his players after his side’s Champions League exertions at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Wednesday, with his side having lost one and drawn two of their past three games following outings in Europe.

He made five changes to his starting line-up, including leaving out defender John Stones and putting key player Kevin de Bruyne on the bench, as he wanted “fresh legs”.

However, City conceded early on – and now have just two clean sheets in their past 16 league games – before they improved and dominated the second half to claim a sixth away win out of seven in the top flight.

“If you want to be a champion you have to play a game like this,” said City skipper Fernandinho.

-BBC

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