Burnley 0-1 Manchester City: Premier League – live!

Pep Guardiola talks, and takes aim at the Turf Moor grounds staff. “We controlled Barnes and Wood very well,” he says. “In the first half the pitch was so, so dry and it was difficult to move the ball but in the second half we increased our desire to win. We had clear chances in the second half, we could have won by more distance. I am so, so happy with this victory and now we have a long week to prepare for Leicester. Hopefully we can arrive in Brighton with the chance to be champions.” Of Sergio Agüero, who struck his 20th goal of the season, the Spaniard adds: “He is an exceptional player.”

Sergio Agüero speaks. “Today I was happy about the technology,” he says, a couple of weeks after VAR denied them passage to the Champions League semi-finals. “I am very happy with the goal because in the first half we had a lot of chances and now we have a week to prepare for the next games.” They play Leicester next Monday and then Brighton on the final day of the season.

It was not Sergio Agüero’s finest goal – it looped just 29mm over the line – but it was arguably his most important this season. Pep Guardiola’s side are back on top of the Premier League with two games to play, a point clear of second-placed Liverpool.

90+3 min: David Silva wins a free-kick just over halfway and Bernardo Silva celebrates by clenching and punching both fists. Gundogan takes an age to take it and is booked for time-wasting. He won’t care; Manchester City are very nearly back on top.

90+1 min: Otamendi replaces Sterling. Westwood and McNeil are stood over a Burnley free-kick, 25 yards from goal, off centre …

90 min: There will be four added minutes, the first of which will include a Burnley free-kick after Kompany upended Gudmundsson, who replaced Jeff Hendrick a moment ago.

89 min: Westwood shows a couple of classy touches to keep the ball alive on halfway. He sprays the ball wide for Charlie Taylor to deliver a high cross into the box where Barnes and co are lurking … but it is straight down Ederson’s throat. No problem for City.

86 min: City win a free-kick right next to the corner flag and Matt Lowton is booked, despite his protests. A team as expansive as this won’t play it short and cradle the ball in the corner, will they? No. Gündogan whips it in but Burnley lap it up and head clear.

84 min: Burnley eke their way upfield, winning a few throw-ins in a row down the right. They handsomely switch play and Ben Mee flights a high ball forward in search of Vydra but City snuff it out. Back come Burnley, with Kompany towering over Barnes to head away before a rare spell of pressure ends with a rogue pass.

82 min: Guardiola happy to effectively shut up shop? John Stones is on for Sergio Agüero, whose goal remains the difference.

79 min: Manchester City are undoubtedly at their best when they set the tempo but they want to slow things down, with Sterling, Walker and Silva happy to usher the ball around without too much purpose. A second would sit well with those in the away end.

75 min: Another goal-line clearance, another glance at the watch by Paul Tierney – but it is not to be this time! Ben Mee makes a superb block to prevent Gabriel Jesus from rolling in a second. A preposterous clearance by the former Manchester City man! Jesus did brilliantly to wriggle in off the left flank, making a fool out of Matt Lowton, rounding Heaton before letting rip with the goal gaping. Burnley are clinging on now.

74 min: Nothing was going City’s way – penalty appeals, the lot – but now everything’s going in their favour. Ashley Barnes loses out to Vincent Kompany as City earn a throw-in on the right.

72 min: Matej Vydra replaces Chris Wood, whose partner Kirsty Linnett actually plays as a striker … for Liverpool.

70 min: Manchester City are knocking the ball around for fun now, while Sean Dyche is preparing to freshen things up.

68 min: As it stands, Manchester City are heading back top of the table – thanks to Agüero’s strike, that cannoned all of 29.59 millimetres over the line. But in doing so, Agüero is only the second player in Premier League history to score 20-plus goals in five consecutive campaigns, after Thierry Henry between 2001-02 and 2005-06. Agüero is a serial goalscorer but exemplified other facets of his game in that goal, namely his unerring strength.

66 min: Burnley try to respond as Ashley Barnes buys himself a yard or two, but gets his shot all wrong. Wayward.

At last! Matt Lowton thought he had cleared the striker’s shot off the line but the goal is awarded, technology confirming to the referee Paul Tierney that the ball dropped a couple of inches over the line before the Burnley defender hacked clear. Bernardo Silva’s dinked cross plunged Burnley into trouble, with Agüero digging his heels in to wrestle the ball away from Tarkowski before letting fly inside the box. Heaton made an instinctive save, but could not prevent the ball from bouncing over and in.

61 min: Bernardo Silva sashays down the right flank but Charlie Taylor and McNeil double up on the winger. City are in this for the long haul. It could be a very long half an hour or so for Burnley.

59 min: Sterling skips past a couple of challenges but Matt Lowton sweeps up the danger for Burnley, sliding in to nick the ball away inside the box. Lowton has seemingly injured himself in doing so.

57 min: Burnley are camped inside their own half, inviting more City pressure. Sean Dyche’s side have defended for their lives.

56 min: Burnley stand firm under more City pressure! Kyle Walker’s low cross causes havoc, Burnley throw bodies to the floor to get in and block as Sane swivels on the penalty spot. Then Aguero tries to muscle in and get a shot away, before Sterling’s effort is blocked and Burnley, who are living dangerously, concede a corner.

54 min: Sterling slips in Sergio Agüero on the edge of the box but he snatches at it and drags wide. Ben Mee beckoned Agüero on to shoot by standing off the striker but he got it all wrong.

51 min: Bernardo Silva forces Tom Heaton into a big save! It was a case of pinball in the box, with Raheem Sterling having an effort blocked before Silva took aim a few yards out. He opted for power over placement, lashing the ball high towards the near post, but Heaton was equal to it. City are trying to up the ante.

49 min: And then Laporte nods a header straight at Heaton! Referee Paul Tierney was arguably unsighted for that penalty appeal but, on closer inspection, it looks like a stonewall penalty.

48 min: Sergio Agüero thumps an effort at goal but Tom Heaton is equal to it! Bernardo Silva threaded it through to Sterling, who laid it on for Agüero to take aim. He blasted at Heaton’s near post. In the aftermath the ball was smacked goalwards and struck Ashley Barnes’s left arm. David Silva and City are adamant it’s handball. Barnes appeared to lean into the ball. Nothing given.

47 min: Zinchenko tries to pick out Sterling but his pass cannons into the back of Sergio Agüero; it is still not quite happening.