Burnley were thumped 6-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final yesterday.
Vincent Kompany returned to the Etihad for the first time as a manager yesterday, taking his table-topping Burnley side to his old stomping ground. But the Championship leaders were humbled 6-0 by Pep Guardiola’s City, with Erling Haaland grabbing himself another hat-trick.
But despite the scoreline, Burnley gave a decent account of themselves, and after the game chairman Alan Pace had this warming message for supporters:
So proud of our team and the grit they showed. We learn from this and we get better. And our 7,800 away fans were loud and proud the whole match. No matter the result, our claret and blue team, coaches, and supporters are class. UTC! pic.twitter.com/6w5vvbs3yL
— Alan Pace (@AlanPaceBFC) March 18, 2023
Yesterday’s defeat was Burnley’s first they lost away at Manchester United in the Carabao Cup back in December. Kompany has only lost four games in total since taking charge last summer, with his side having a 13-point lead over Sheffield United in 2nd and a 16-point lead over Middlesbrough in 3rd.
Moving on up…
In less than a season, Burnley’s outlook seems to have completely changed. Pace and the Burnley hierarchy made a solid appointment in Kompany and then they backed him well in the summer and winter transfer window, and now the club looks to have a very positive future under the Belgian coach.
Promotion to the Premier League will surely be achieved and after that, the hard work can really start. Yesterday’s defeat perhaps showed hat Burnley still need a lot of strengthening ahead of an inevitable Premier League campaign, but they proved last summer that they have a very strong recruitment model.
Up next for the Clarets is a home game v Sunderland at the end of this month.
