The champions looked to be cruising to victory thanks to first-half goals from David Silva and Fernandinho, but the Clarets battled back after the break to claim a shock 2-2 draw and dent the Blues’ title hopes- as well as ending a nine-match winning sequence.
The turkey and mince pies may be gone – well, almost – but City have continued to spread festive cheer among their flock before and after Christmas – until today.
The statisticians were having a field day going into this crucial festive clash as the Blues looked to set a new club record of ten successive victories in all competitions, looking to beat the previous milestone set in 1912
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With leaders Chelsea kicking off an hour earlier, City had the advantage of knowing by the break in this game whether they could end 2014 in pole position or not, but first, an improving Burnley had to be tackled.
Though calculators and abacuses have been needed in recent meetings between these two sides with 41 goals in the last eight meetings – 32 scored by the Blues – City were forced to start a third consecutive game without a recognised striker.
Yaya Toure was rested meaning Silva - on five goals - began the game as the top scorer in the starting XI – and it was the mesmeric Spaniard who broke down the Clarets’ initial stubbornness with a smart turn and low drive on 23 minutes after good work by Samir Nasri and Jesus Navas.
It makes you wonder how many ‘El Mago’ would score if he played in a more forward role more often, with four during the festive period alone
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Ten minutes later the champions doubled their lead with a stunning strike that had a sprinkling of samba magic as a patient build-up ended with Fernandinho making a yard of space 20 yards out before unleashing a thumping drive that struck the underside of the bar on its way into the net.
That seemed to give the Blues the breathing space they needed to relax a little and, with the news at half-time that Chelsea had dropped two points by drawing at Southampton, the chance to close the gap at the top to just one point.
But the visitors forgot to read the script and the second period began with City on the back foot from the kick-off and the worst start possible as Burnley pulled a goal back on 48 minutes with George Boyd looking suspiciously offside as he touched the ball past Joe Hart from close range.
Nasri forced a good save from Tom Heaton not long after but Danny Ings also went close just after the hour-mark with a swerving shot that had Hart scrambling across his goal – the second-half was proving to be a nervy affair for the sell-out home crowd.
There was an air of inevitability as the game wore on that the Clarets would find an equaliser at some stage and on 81 minutes a tiring City looking ragged and careless in possession, Ashley Barnes struck a fierce shot past Hart to make it 2-2.
It was the visitors who looked more likely to go on and claim the three points thereafter, but City ultimately had to make do with just a point when three had looked a formality at one strage.
All good runs come to an end, but losing a two-goal advantage at home to Burnley was not perhaps the way most people envisaged this winning streak coming to a shuddering halt.
