Pep Lijnders reaction to Man City goal offered insight into coaching change

Manchester City made it five games unbeaten in all competitions after swatting aside Burnley 5-1 at the Etihad, with Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland in form again.

Manchester City maintained their run of form with a 5-1 win against newly promoted Burnley at the Etihad.

A Maxime Esteve own goal after good work from Jeremy Doku had given City an early lead but they switched off for the rest of the first half and allowed Jaidon Anthony to bag an unexpected equaliser.

Just when City seemed in need of inspiration, Erling Haaland did brilliantly to win a header at the back post and Matheus Nunes slammed home a volley. A few minutes later Nunes' low cross again saw Esteve put through his own goal, this time with Oscar Bobb putting him under pressure.

There was still time for City to get two late goals, with Haaland scoring twice in the closing minutes, first slamming home a shot from a Doku cross and then capitalising on a defensive mistake.

Lijnders makes his mark

We haven't seen as much of Kolo Toure during City's spell of good results recently but he was a noticeable presence at the Etihad against Burnley, spending large periods of the second half in the technical area trying to offer encouragement to a side struggling to find a way through.

Toure was clapping and cajoling the City players from the early stages of the second half, with the energy noticeably flat on the pitch. At times Toure and Guardiola were also joined by Pep Lijnders, with all the senior coaches trying to get the side going.

In fact, City's quickfire second half double came at a point when Lijnders had taken on a more direct role on the touchline. After a brief chat with Guardiola, they came up with a plan to break Burnley down and the pace they injected into the game led to a couple of goals.

When Bobb slid in to make it 3-1 it was Lijnders who ran and jumped in the air, only to be embraced by Guardiola who held on to his assistant first team coach and slapped him on his back. It seemed clear that Jurgen Klopp's former right-hand man had a big role to play in the turnaround.

Doku vs Walker

Kyle Walker but got a warm welcome on his return to the Etihad but that was where the festivities ended for the former City right-back, who must have been sick of the sight of Jeremy Doku.

The Belgian winger loved to get the ball and take on his former teammate and the Blues channelled a lot of their attacks down the left to target Walker.

The 35-year-old picked up a first half booking to make his task harder. It probably summed up his day that he actually came off worse in the tackle, with Foden planting his studs down on Walker's foot.

Right back issues

This version of Walker might not be much use to City but it looks clear that right-back remains a position they need to address in the transfer market.

Nunes got another chance to impress against Burnley but he again showed his defensive weaknesses, not doing enough to stop the cross from Quilindschy Hartman that allowed Jaidon Anthony to equalise. The Portuguese doesn't look like he will ever be the answer in that position, even if he did contribute going in the other direction.

Abduokodir Khusanov and Rico Lewis look safer options this season but City will surely have to go to market next summer to find a new right-back. Ideally one that can give them the kind of service they got from Walker.

Hatton respects

There was a touching moment before kick-off at the Etihad when City fans in the South Stand unveiled a tribute to Ricky Hatton with the Hatton family on the sidelines watching on.

They clearly found it an emotional moment as the banner hung from the first tier, depicting Hatton in his boxing pomp. There was also a banner on the third tier of the East Stand reading 'There's only one Ricky Hatton'.

When his family, including his young children, were ushered back down the tunnel just before kick-off they were afforded a warm reception.