LONDON: After the lights went out in the changing room, Manchester City finally found a way to shine on the pitch again.

City bounced back from its disappointing draw at Newcastle by beating Burnley 4-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday, displaying the kind of fluent attacking play that has often eluded Pep Guardiola’s team lately.

Gabriel Jesus scored twice for City, who arrived at Turf Moor to find that the lights weren’t working in the away dressing room. The club tweeted out a picture of a black screen to make light of the situation, and the team then made light work of Burnley as well.

Jesus curled in the opener in the 24th minute and doubled the lead just after halftime. Rodri added the third with a thundering volley into the roof of the net from 20 yards out in the 68th before substitute Riyad Mahrez netted his 50th Premier League goal in the 87th. Burnley’s Robbie Brady grabbed a late consolation goal for the hosts.

City had won just one of their last five games in all competitions but moved into second place above Leicester ahead of their game against Watford on Wednesday. They also provisionally cut toppers Liverpool’s lead to eight points.

And Rodri insisted the defending champions haven’t given up hope of catching Liverpool.

“Until the maths say another thing we have all the chance of winning the Premier League, Rodri said. “We don’t see the best version of Manchester City until now.”

In Tuesday’s other game, substitute Jeffrey Schlupp scored in the 76th minute as 10-man Crystal Palace beat Bournemouth 1-0 to provisionally move up to fifth.

Roy Hodgson’s side played a man down for 71 minutes after Mamadou Sakho was sent off for a rash tackle, but Palace’s makeshift back four produced a solid display to see out a second straight win.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, have now lost four games in a row.

Sakho was making just his second league start of the season and recklessly caught Adam Smith high on the knee when sliding in for a tackle in the 19th minute, causing referee Anthony Taylor to show a straight red card.

Palace then had another setback when Patrick Van Aanholt sustained a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Schlupp.

That meant Palace had centre back Martin Kelly playing on the right of the back four, midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate at the heart of defense and Schlupp usually a winger filling in at left-back.

However, Bournemouth struggled to create chances and the hosts were still a threat on counterattacks, with Wilfried Zaha having a penalty appeal waved away in the 70th minute after colliding with Chris Mepham.

Schlupp then scored the winner after he raced past Jefferson Lerma and Dominic Solanke before dribbling into the area and rifling an effort past Aaron Ramsdale from 12 yards out.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2019