MANCHESTER: Manchester City thrashed Burnley 5-0 at an empty Etihad to ensure Liverpool will not be able to clinch the Premier League title when they face Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

However, the match was overshadowed by a banner flown over the stadium at the start of the match reading:“White lives matter Burnley”.

Black Lives Matter (BLM) has been printed on the back of all shirts for the first 12 matches of the Premier League restart.

Players, coaches and referees have also taken a knee before kick-off in every match to show their support for the fight against racial injustice.

I am ashamed, I’m embarrassed, that a small number of our fans have decided to put that around the stadium,” said Burnley captain Ben Mee. These people need to come into the 21st century and educate themselves as a lot of us do. I’m really upset that happened.”

Burnley issued an apology and a strong condemnation of those responsible for a banner.

“This, in no way, represents what Burnley Football Club stands for,” the club said in a statement, “and we will work fully with the authorities to identify those responsible and issue lifetime bans.”

Former City defender Micah Richards described the banner as hurtful and disheartening after the Premier League’s response to the BLM movement in the wake of American George Floyd’s death in police custody that has sparked worldwide protests.

After how far we’ve come in these last couple of weeks it really does hurt me,” said former England international Richards.

Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez scored two goals apiece as the hosts showed their impressive strength in depth, making eight changes at the Etihad Stadium.

The result leaves second-placed City 20 points behind runaway league leaders Liverpool with eight games remaining and Juergen Klopp’s side cannot now clinch the title with a victory against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Wednesday.

If City win at Chelsea on Thursday then Liverpool could secure their first league crown in 30 years against Pep Guardiola’s side in Manchester on July 2.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche could only name seven of the allowed nine substitutes, two of them goalkeepers, with his inexperienced bench without four regulars who have not signed contract extensions and it was a long night for the Clarets.

Talented 20-year-old Foden, making just his fourth start of the season, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, drilling a low shot from over 20 metres past keeper Nick Pope after a short-corner routine.

Mahrez made it 2-0 with a superb finish, collecting a long pass from Fernandinho and then jinking past the Burnley defence before firing home.

City made it 3-0 just before the break when a VAR review ruled that Burnley’s Ben Mee had fouled Sergio Aguero inside the box and, while the Argentine striker went off injured, Mahrez converted from the spot.

Burnley’s defending was then sloppy at a corner again, with Foden left free to cleverly pick out Bernardo Silva who put a ball across the face of goal for David Silva to slide home six minutes into the second half.

The outstanding Foden made it 5-0 in the 63rd minute, finishing off a sweeping counter-attack.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2020