Man City go top of Premier League as they relegate Burnley to Championship

Lewis Henderson
Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:53:46 +0000

Manchester City have gone top of the Premier League after a 1-0 win against Burnley, who have been relegated to the Championship.

Erling Haaland's solo goal was enough for Pep Guardiola's side as they leapfrog Arsenal in the table on goals scored.

City peppered the Burnley goal, but a series of brave blocks and fantastic saves from Martin Dubravka kept the scoreline down.

Scott Parker's side have only picked up four league wins all season, and with defeat tonight, have been relegated to the second division.

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City had not occupied top spot since the campaign's opening week, but an unbeaten run stretching to eleven games has propelled them past their title rivals.

With both clubs level on points and goal difference, the champions now lead on the third tie-breaking metric as the season enters its decisive phase.

Haaland needed just five minutes to settle the contest, latching onto Jeremy Doku's through ball before lifting a deft finish over goalkeeper Dubravka.

The Norwegian frontman, who also rattled the woodwork after the interval, has now found the net eight times in five appearances against the Clarets.

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City ought to have extended their advantage on multiple occasions, with Dubravka producing an outstanding save to tip Rayan Cherki's powerful strike onto the crossbar.

The Slovakian goalkeeper also denied Nico O'Reilly's header, whilst Rayan Ait-Nouri fired over following an intricate passing move as the visitors squandered opportunities that could prove costly in the title race.

Burnley's defeat sealed their fate, with Parker's side joining bottom club Wolves in dropping to the Championship for the second time in three seasons.

The Clarets were not without their moments, as Jaidon Anthony forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma and Zian Flemming missed from a promising position.

Standout performer tonight, Abdukodir Khusanov, produced a series of crucial blocks, keeping the Burnley attack at bay throughout the evening.

City have won 14 of their previous 15 against Burnley by an aggregate score of 45-6, and there could and should have been more goals on the night.

Guardiola's men remain unbeaten against promoted sides in their last thirty Premier League encounters.

What will be viewed as a positive for Arsenal fans tonight is that City only scored one.

On an evening when the away side could have had six or seven goals, taking away only one will be viewed as a positive for Mikel Arteta.

As things stand, City and Arsenal share the same points, wins, draws, losses and goal difference after 33 games.

What separates them is their goals scored and goals against, with Guardiola's men boasting about goals scored by three.

With barely anything between the two sides, the remaining five games are set up for a thrilling conclusion to this Premier League season.