September 27, (THEWILL) — Maxime Esteve endured a nightmare afternoon at the Etihad Stadium as his two own goals contributed to Manchester City’s 5-1 victory over Burnley in the English Premier League. The defender’s first mishap arrived within 15 minutes when Jeremy Doku’s initial effort created confusion in the penalty area, leaving Esteve to turn the rebound into his own net.
Burnley demonstrated admirable fighting spirit despite their early setback, with goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka producing several outstanding saves to keep his team competitive. The Slovak stopper made a particularly stunning stop to prevent Doku from completing a rapid City counter-attack, ensuring the visitors remained within touching distance. Scott Parker’s men capitalised on their defensive resilience when Jaidon Anthony swept home Quilindschy Hartman’s cross approximately 10 minutes before half-time, for his fourth goal of the season.
The second half began with Burnley creating the better opportunities, nearly taking a shock lead when Lyle Foster’s deflected effort whistled narrowly wide of the post. Hartman continued to threaten with a stinging drive that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into action, but these missed chances would prove costly for the visitors.
City regained control shortly after the hour mark through Matheus Nunes, who reacted quickest to volley home a loose ball inside the penalty area. The goal sparked the hosts into life, with Esteve’s second own goal arriving moments later when he inadvertently turned a Nunes delivery past the helpless Dúbravka.
Erling Haaland completed the scoring with a late brace, ensuring Pep Guardiola’s side claimed a comprehensive victory. The result represents City’s 23rd win in their last 25 Premier League encounters against promoted teams, underlining their consistent dominance over newly-promoted opposition.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
