In Haaland's return, the star of Manchester City vs Burnley was Julian Alvarez

Manchester City had an ideal opportunity on Wednesday. On matchday 22 of the Premier League, they faced Burnley, one of the weakest teams in England, at Etihad Stadium. They knew that, in case of getting a victory, they could perhaps reduce the gap with Liverpool, the leaders of the league table, who have a difficult match against Chelsea at Anfield Road.

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But the Citizens could not be complacent. Despite being a team with more quality (and budget) than The Clarets, they had to prove it on the pitch and could not consider themselves winners before playing the game. That's why coach Pep Guardiola put together a starting lineup with most of the stars of the squad, except for Erling Haaland, who was called up again on Wednesday after two months of absence due to a foot injury. For that reason the Norwegian striker was on the bench.

His place in the attack was taken by Julian Alvarez, and he did it perfectly: he scored two goals in just 22 minutes and led the way for his team. The opener came 16 minutes into the first half, when he received a floated cross from Matheus Nunes and connected the ball with a header that made it impossible for goalkeeper James Trafford to save. And just moments later it was Kevin De Bruyne who set up the Argentine striker, who doubled the lead with a soft right-footed shot.

Calm in the knowledge that the hardest part of the task was done, the Citizens didn't need to try too hard after the break. They controlled the ball and pushed their opponents into their own box, and scored the third goal early in the second half, when Phil Foden set up Rodri and the Spanish midfielder shot with great precision from outside the box. Near the end Pep Guardiola was even able to give Erling Haaland a chance to play a few minutes, after almost two months out injured. Ameen Al Dakhil's goal for Burnley in stoppage time did not jeopardize the hosts' victory.

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What's next for them?

Manchester City will now have several days to rest before their next match. They will close the 23rd round of the Premier League next Monday, when they visit Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium.