Manchester City beat Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor through a second-half strike from Sergio Aguero to move to within two wins of retaining their Premier League title.
The decisive moment in the match arrived 63 minutes in as Sergio Aguero found a way through, despite the best efforts of Matt Lowton on the line.
City created the better of the openings but it was a tense finale in Lancashire as the hosts pushed for a leveller, but there were no more goals and the title remains in the Citizens' hands with two weeks of the season to go.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Burnley and Manchester City at Turf Moor.
Man City need to win three more matches to become the first side in a decade to retain the title, starting with this trip to Lancashire.
The Clarets' top-flight status has been preserved for another season following Saturday's results, but they are after revenge today after losing both previous fixtures against the Citizens this season - in the league and FA Cup - by the same 5-0 scoreline.
BURNLEY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Heaton; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Hendrick, Cork, Westwood, McNeil; Wood, Barnes
SUBS: Hart, Gibson, Long, Ward, Driscoll-Glennan, Gudmundsson, Vydra
MAN CITY TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko; Bernardo Silva, Gundogan, David Silva; Sterling, Aguero, Sane
SUBS: Muric, Danilo, Stones, Otamendi, Foden, Mahrez, Jesus
KICKOFF: Burnley go with the same starting lineup for the fourth match running, though there is a change on the bench as youngster Driscoll-Glennon takes over from Brady. As for Manchester City, Sane comes in for the injured Fernandinho, meaning a deeper midfield position for Bernardo. The visitors get us underway here!
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The home side have started the match on top. They win a couple of throw-ins high up the pitch and get the ball into the box, but Barnes is flagged for offside. City may have to be patient today, as they were against Man United in midweek.
City are slowly starting to find their passing groove. Sterling is unhappy as his attempted pass for Bernardo is overhit and goes behind for a goal kick - he felt it took a touch off McNeil on its way through, but replays prove inconclusive.
Hendrick gives the ball away and that almost proves costly. Aguero thinks about the shut but spreads it out to Walker down the right, and the full-back's cross is just about dealt with. Burnley cannot afford to be sloppy in possession.
Barnes and Wood are getting right in the faces of Kompany and Laporte - the same pairing that started against Man United. There is no Fernandinho for the visitors in the holding position today, of course, so that is an area Burnley need to attack.
City work the ball well but the cross to David Silva at the back post as too much on it and it goes behind for a goal kick. Seventeen of the Citizens' last 22 goals in all competitions against Burnley have come in the second half of matches, including eight of their 10 this season.
The Citizens have misplaced a few passes already in the opening 15 minutes of the match. Guardiola will not be to concerned just yet, as his side still have plenty of time to find their stride. As for Burnley, they just need to keep doing what they are doing.
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Burnley are defending with two banks of four, as we knew they would, with Barnes and Wood providing an out-ball. Laporte's intended pass for Zinchenko goes straight out of play, leading to cheers from the home supporters. That attack sums up how the match has gone so far.
David Silva's cross should be easily dealt with, but McNeil clearly wasn't given a shout and he heads it behind under little pressure. Gundogan swings in the corner and Aguero is unable to turn it goalwards from 12 yards.
Burnley's defenders have not had a great amount to deal with so far - it has been a very slow start from the defending champions. Cork tries to lift the ball over Kompany and it hits the defender's face. A couple of home players appealed for a penalty - no idea why.
Nearly a quarter of the match has been played and we are still awaiting for the first shot of any note. This is not too dissimilar to the Manchester derby four days ago in a sense that the Citizens are happy to weigh up their opponents before pouncing.
Kompany barges into Barnes and a free kick is awarded to Burnley 35 yards from goal. It is lofted towards the back post where Mee is waiting, but he cannot find the net nor a teammate when hooking it back across goal.
CHANCE! Walker slips on the ball just inside his own half and all of a sudden it is three against three. Hendrick slips it through for Wood, who is unable to control the ball with his first touch and Ederson can pounce. That has to go down as a big chance.
Wood caught Ederson in the, let's say groin area, when trying to get on the end of that Hendrick through-ball. After a short stoppage in play, the Brazilian is OK to continue. Burnley have done more to warrant a lead so far.
Burnley have only had 31% of the ball but the only chance of the match in the opening half an hour fell their way. I said Guardiola will not be too concerned a little earlier - the longer the game continues in this manner the more worried he will become.
SAVE! This is more like it from the visitors. Sterling slips the ball into the path of Bernardo and the versatile midfielder cuts inside Taylor before getting a low shot away from eight yards, which lacks the power to beat Heaton.
Bernardo's shot was the first on target today. He is the only player to have more than one touch in the opposition box so far in the game (two). City won both previous meetings with Burnley 5-0 this term, but it looks like being far tighter today.
Burnley boss Dyche will be pleased with the way his side have kept City at bay, with just 10 minutes of the first half left to play. There has been one shot on target, and even that was a tame attempt from Bernardo a short while ago.
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SHOT! Man City get in behind Burnley for the first time today and it causes all sorts of panic in the opposition box. Walker is played in and cuts the ball back for David Silva, who is given time to turn and shoot from 10 yards, but the ball hits Tarkowski in front of goal.
The ball is lifted over the top of the Burnley defence but Aguero is unable to make contact with his shot, with the pass just out of his reach. The visitors have started to tighten their grip on the match over the last five minutes.
City are definitely starting to look a lot brighter in the final third, with a teasing cross going right the way through, but they are far from their best. Aguero is penalised for catching Tarkowski just outside the box, which he is unhappy about.
This is poor from City. Zinchenko fails to spot the run of Sane and Aguero then overhits the pass out of play. From the next attack, Walker's cross is too close to Heaton and the Burnley keeper collects with ease.
SHOT! From pretty much nothing, Aguero spins on the edge of the box, works a yard of space and gets a shot away. There is not enough bend on the ball, though, and Heaton will argue that he had it covered anyway. Burnley will be happy to hear the half-time whistle.
There is no way through for City on the edge of Burnley's crowded penalty area. Sterling squares the ball to Aguero but Westwood takes it off the Argentinian striker's feet. Bernardo Silva is now out on the right and Sterling is playing in a central position.
SAVE! Sane's half-volley from the edge of the box lacks power and it is another simple one for Heaton to deal with at his near post. Guardiola will not be happy with that from what will likely be the final meaningful attack of the first half.
HALF TIME: BURNLEY 0-0 MAN CITY
The sides go into half time level at 0-0. Man City were far from their best in the first half, managing just a couple of shots on target - and they were weak efforts from Sane and Bernardo. Burnley's best chance fell to Wood, who was unable to control the ball when through on goal.
BENCH WATCH!
BURNLEY SUBS: Hart, Gibson, Long, Ward, Driscoll-Glennan, Gudmundsson, Vydra
MAN CITY SUBS: Muric, Danilo, Stones, Otamendi, Foden, Mahrez, Jesus
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KICKOFF: Five of Man City's last nine Premier League games have been goalless at half time, so all is not lost yet. It goes without saying that the next 45 minutes are truly massive in terms of the title race. Can Burnley do Liverpool a huge favour?
There is talk that Guardiola and his backroom team are unhappy with the dryness of the pitch, as was the case last week when Liverpool travelled to Cardiff City. Burnley are not exactly sitting back, looking to create something through McNeil down the left but he has nowhere to run.
SAVE! Bernardo plays the ball into the feet of Sterling, who tees it up for Aguero to hammer it on target from an angle. Heaton is forced into his first serious save of the game, helping the ball behind for a corner. This is the pressure we were expecting!
SAVE! Laporte meets Zinchenko's left-sided cross but his header is aimed straight at Heaton in the Burnley goal. Prior to that, the visitors had a penalty shout rejected for handball against Barnes, who did move towards the ball. A big shout, that!
SAVE! Having seen that Barnes handball incident back, it is fair to say that City have every right to feel hard done by - he leaned into Bernardo's shot and it definitely hit his arm. Heaton makes another save, this time keeping out Bernardo's bullet after some pinball in the box.
Burnley are seriously holding on now. Unlike in the first half, it is looking a case of when, rather than if, the champions will find a way through. It remains very tense due to what is on the line, but it is surely just a matter of time before the Citizens break through the Clarets' wall.
SHOT! City are looking so much sharper in this second half. Aguero picks up the ball on the edge of the box but, unlike him, he lacks composure when it matters and drags the shot wide from 20 yards. The longer it remains goalless, the more desperate the visitors will become.
It is wave after wave of City pressure now but, with an hour played, there is still no way through. Aguero tries and fails to shoot and Sterling's shot from eight yards is then blocked behind. Burnley deal with the corner when it arrives in the box.
Lowton produces a superb recovery challenge on Sterling to prevent the winger from getting a shot away in the box. Burnley are having to work overtime at the back, barely being given a chance to settle themselves. There are 30 more minutes of this to come!
GOAL! BURNLEY 0-1 MAN CITY (SERGIO AGUERO)
Man City have their breakthrough goal!! Aguero's 20th Premier League goal of the season may well be the one that gets the Citizens over the line in terms of back-to-back titles. The Citizens work the ball across the pitch and Bernardo finds Aguero in the box. The striker shows good strength to hold off Tarkowski and his shot just about crosses the line, despite the best efforts of Lowton right under the crossbar.
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Aguero now has nine goals in his last eight games against Burnley, and it is the fifth Premier League season running he has notched 20 goals. Guardiola's men finally have lift-off - now they just need to see the job through. Jesus comes on for Sane.
There is no change to the flow of the game as City are still bossing possession. That goal had been coming right since the second half kicked off and now they need to keep these levels up for the remaining 25 minutes or so. Burnley could yet snatch a goal...
City are no longer bombarding Burnley's box, but they are in control of the ball. Guardiola may well be tempted to make a change or two as we enter the final quarter of the match. Dyche also has the chance to freshen things up should he wish.
BURNLEY SUB! Wood, who wasted a very good opportunity in the first half, is replaced by Vydra in the first Burnley change of the afternoon. There are around 20 minutes to go in Lancashire and City are not over the line just yet.
Walker covers good ground out wide and sends the ball in towards Aguero, but Mee gets across to defend the danger. Burnley have been unable to get at their opponents since falling behind - Man City are seeing out the game in a professional manner.
OFF THE BAR! This is nearly a sublime goal from substitute striker Jesus, who controls Walker's cross-field pass and rounds Heaton, only for his shot to be blocked superbly on the line by Mee. Goal-line technology is used and it shows that not all of the ball crossed the line.
Guardiola's men are starting to turn the screw once again. They cannot afford to take their eye off the ball because we know Burnley can so easily snatch a goal from a set-piece. Liverpool supporters, the title race is not over yet! Gudmundsson replaces Hendrick.
Aguero celebrates with his teammates after opening the scoring just after the hour mark. Burnley put so much into keeping City out that they look shattered. The Clarets have been unable to put together a serious attack since falling behind.
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Burnley are finally started to regain some energy as a cross from the left is met by the head of Laporte. Both sets of players look dead on their feet - Dyche and Guardiola could do with using all of their subs.
MAN CITY SUB! It is hard to put into words how tense the atmosphere is at Turf Moor. Burnley may not have a lot riding on this game but they are giving it their all. McNeil is given some space down the left but his cross is overhit out of play. Stones comes on for Aguero.
Stones has been put in front of the back four in a holding-midfield position, which we have seen him occupy before. Guardiola just wants his side to see out the remainder of the match - concede now and their title hopes could end just like that.
YELLOW CARD! City have done well to take a bit of the sting out of the match. They have the ball deep in Burnley's half and take their time over the throw-in. Lowton tackles Jesus and earns himself a yellow card, which again City take their time over.
Taylor is dispossessed by Bernardo to the frustration of the home fans. Dyche will be desperate for his side to create just one last chance, but City are seeing out the game brilliantly. Blue Moon rings around the away end - they think they have done enough.
Four minutes have been added on at Turf Moor, the first of which we have already played with little incident. Bernardo plays Jesus through on goal but the offside flag correctly goes up to halt the Brazilian in his tracks.
Gudmundsson, who scored in this fixture last season to earn Burnley a 1-1 draw, earns a free-kick from Kompany in a good crossing position. This is it - this is Burnley's final chance to change the complexion of the title race...
MANCHESTER CITY SUB! Otamendi comes on for Sterling before Burnley can take the free kick...
Stones gets on the end of the free-kick and it is eventually hooked clear by Zinchenko. That may well be that. Burnley have less than 60 seconds to find a way through.
FULL TIME: BURNLEY 0-1 MAN CITY
Manchester City claim a 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor through Sergio Aguero's strike 63 minutes in. That goal settled a nervy contest, awarded via goal-line technology after Matt Lowton tried his best to keep it out on the line. The win means that City's title destiny remains in their own hands with just two matches - against Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion - to go.
Thank you for joining our live coverage today. Until next time, goodbye!
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Written by
Daniel Lewis
Daniel Lewis
