After looking much the better side in the opening 20 minutes, City had a chance to take the lead from the spot when James Poole was kicked in the face. After a slight delay for treatment to the winger, David Ball stepped up and saw Burnley keeper Penny guess correctly to his right. But the referee had seen an infringement and ordered the penalty to be taken again. Ball went to the other side this time, and once more Penny saved the day.
Burnley made City pay with two goals in quick succession shortly afterwards. Fletcher pounced when Edgar nodded down a McKee corner in the 23rd minute, and three minutes later Fletcher was in the right place to take advantage when City keeper Nielsen could not collect a cross from the left.
Burnley’s Peruvian stopper made another fine save 10 minutes later, dropping quickly to his right to beat away a fierce drive from James Poole. He was busy again in the second half as City tried to reduce the arrears, beating away a Nimely header shortly after Robbie Mak had curled the ball wide of the post from a central position on the edge of the box.
Michael Johnson came through a 67 minute stint unscathed before being replaced by Andrew Tutte. Glyn Hodges tried to turn things around by also bringing on Ibrahim and Marshall deep into the second half, but Burnley missed a decent chance to finish the game off with 15 minutes to go when Fletcher put the ball wide from close range.
A goal from Robbie Mak right on the 90 minute mark threw City a lifeline, but they could not claw it back in stoppage time and at the whistle the score remained at City 1-2 Burnley.
City: Neilsen, Trippier, Cunningham, Boyata, Mee, Johnson (Tutte 67), Mak, Clayton (Marshall 67), Ball, Nimely, Poole (Ibrahim 75).
Unused subs: T Johansen, Redshaw
