Manchester City kicked off the 2023/24 Premier League season with a clinical 3-0 win at Championship winners Burnley.
Golden Boot-holder Erling Haaland scored twice as the Cityzens began their defence of the title in ruthless fashion. Rodri added the champions' third in the second half.
Vincent Kompany's side gave Man City a few scares though were unable to maintain any constant threat, while Anass Zaroury was sent off late in the day for a dangerous tackle on Kyle Walker.
How the game unfolded
Just four minutes into the new season, Haaland scored his first goal. Kevin De Bruyne's cross following a corner was headed back across into the box by Rodri, and the Norwegian was quick to react and convert at the near post.
Soon after that opener, Burnley were incensed they weren't awarded a penalty when Manuel Akanji appeared to drag Zeki Amdouni to the ground, but referee Craig Pawson wasn't interested, nor was VAR Michael Oliver.
The hosts were looking a threat with their pressing and they nearly carved out another chance when Amdouni robbed Akanji of the ball, only for Rodri to retreat and win the ball back before he could pull the trigger.
After showing real signs of life, Burnley were dealt a sucker-punch when Man City added their second. Phil Foden released Walker down the left flank, and he in turn pulled the ball back for Julian Alvarez. Slightly off-balance, he shifted it to Haaland, who thundered in another off the underside of the crossbar.
Just after the break, James Trafford - making his Burnley debut against his former side - twice came up with pivotal saves. Firstly, he tipped a speculative long-range strike from Rodri over the top, before denying the Spaniard's strong header from the resulting corner.
Man City completed their rout 15 minutes from time when Rodri came up with their third. Burnley failed to clear a teasing free-kick, with the Spanish midfielder peeling off the back of substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen and smashing in a loose ball from around six yards out.
Burnley's misery was compounded in stoppage time when Zaroury was shown a red card following a VAR review, being given his marching orders after catching the right-back high on his ankle with a flying challenge.
Burnley player ratings (5-4-1)
GK: James Trafford - 6/10 - Unafraid to play from the back and was quick off his line, while also came up with some decent saves.
RB: Connor Roberts - 5/10 - Sometimes uncomfortable in possession when Man City pressed high, but did his defensive duties well.
CB: Dara O'Shea - 5/10 - Alert to danger and for the most part helped silence Haaland from open play. Unfortunately for he and his Burnley teammates, sometimes that's just not enough.
CB: Ameen Al Dakhil - 5/10 - Picked out some clever passes between the lines and was similarly quick to snuff out quick Man City attacks.
CB: Jordan Beyer - 5/10 - Won some battles with Haaland, but again that wasn't enough to save the Clarets. Hauled off with a bout of cramp.
LB: Vitinho - 4/10 - Caught high up the pitch for Man City's crucial second goal and other swift counter attacks.
RM: Luca Koleosho - 5/10 - Showed glimpses of trickery but not enough to truly trouble Man City.
CM: Sander Berge - 4/10 - Seemed frightened to get on the ball or keep it for long stretches, which is at least understandable given he only joined a few days ago and he was up against the best team in Europe.
CM: Josh Cullen - 5/10 - The captain was a little more careful with the ball than his new midfield partner.
LM: Lyle Foster - 5/10 - Often drifted inside to support the striker, though given how Man City were able to freely attack down this side of the pitch it didn't always seem like a wise choice.
CF: Zeki Amdouni - 6/10 - Pressed aggressively and gave an accomplished Man City backline a fair few scares in his hour on the pitch. Goals will surely follow against lesser opponents.
Substitutes
SUB: Anass Zaroury (61' for Amdouni) - 2/10
SUB: Jacob Bruun Larsen (61' for Koleosho) - 4/10
SUB: Manuel Benson (74' for Beyer) - 5/10
SUB: Josh Brownhill (90' for Berge) - N/A
SUB: Nathan Redmond (90' for Foster) - N/A
Subs not used: Muric (GK), Ekdal, Cork, Gudmundsson
Manager
Vincent Kompany - 5/10 - Burnley played without fear and their approach should help them see off teams who aren't the reigning champions of Europe this season.
Manchester City player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson - 7/10 - His usual calm self on the ball. Proved an imposing figure between the sticks and off his line early on when Burnley were searching for an equaliser.
RB: Kyle Walker - 7/10 - Still got his magnificent recovery pace to lean on. Initially looked sloppy in the final third before having a big say in Man City's second goal.
CB: Manuel Akanji - 4/10 - Caught sleeping on several occasions by Burnley at the start of the evening. A more ruthless team would have taken advantage of such mishaps.
CB: Nathan Ake - 7/10 - Tasked with cleaning up Akanji's mess. Solid for most of the evening until his late withdrawal.
LB: Rico Lewis - 6/10 - Didn't look out of place and wasn't given too much trouble by Burnley's right-hand side.
CM: Rodri - 9/10 - Outstanding even beyond his goal and assist. Had complete control over the whole game.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne - 7/10 - Excellent for all 23 minutes he was on the pitch before succumbing to injury.
RM: Phil Foden - 6/10 - Had the ball on a string and fans off their seats, but failed to make a tangible impact.
AM: Julian Alvarez - 7/10 - Carved out a clever assist for Haaland and proved he could play with the Norwegian striker, but needs to take his own chances in front of goal if he's to keep his starting spot.
LM: Bernardo Silva - 6/10 - A low-key performance from the Portuguese wizard, doing his basic duties for the team rather than stealing the show.
CF: Erling Haaland - 9/10 - Scarcely involved but still managed to grab two extremely well-taken goals. Standard.
Substitutes
SUB: Mateo Kovacic (23' for De Bruyne) - 6/10 - A slow burner. Gave the ball away cheaply soon after being introduced but settled into the game after the break.
SUB: Josko Gvardiol (79' for Lewis) - N/A
SUB: Aymeric Laporte (79' for Ake) - N/A
SUB: Cole Palmer (79' for Haaland) - N/A
SUB: James McAtee (90' for Walker) - N/A
Subs not used: Ortega Moreno (GK), Gomez, Phillips, Grealish
Manager
Pep Guardiola - 7/10 - Man City were hardly at their free-flowing best but they were very effective and managed to limit Burnley's chances as the match progressed.
Player of the match - Erling Haaland (Man City)
This article was originally published on 90min as Burnley 0-3 Man City: Player ratings as Premier League champions open season with victory.
