90min

Impressive Stat Shows Pep's Man City Are on Another Level When it Comes to Big Wins

By James Cormack

Manchester City players celebrating against Burnley on Monday night
Manchester City players celebrating against Burnley on Monday night / SHAUN BOTTERILL/Getty Images
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Manchester City hit five against Burnley at an empty Etihad on Monday night; the 17th time they've scored 5+ so in the Premier League since Pep Guardiola's arrival, a staggering nine times more than anyone else.

Braces from Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez alongside a David Silva strike guided the Citizens to a routine victory over the Clarets, 'closing' the gap on Liverpool to 20 points with eight games remaining.

You just never know, eh?

Phil Foden opened the scoring from distance in Monday night's rout
Phil Foden opened the scoring from distance in Monday night's rout / Pool/Getty Images

And as Sky Sports Statto noted, Monday night's victory was remarkably the 17th time they've blitzed their way to at least five in a Premier League game since the Catalan took the reins in the summer of 2016.

Liverpool and Tottenham (nine) are the Sky Blues' closest challengers, while Arsenal (seven) and Chelsea (five) make up the top five of big victories in the same timeframe.

Manchester United, meanwhile, have hit this milestone just once since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013 and it came in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first game in charge: a 5-1 win away at Cardiff in December 2018.

The first time City hit the five-goal mark in a league encounter under Pep, meanwhile, came late in his debut 2016/17 campaign, as they toppled Crystal Palace 5-0 in May.

A 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace in May 2017 was the first time City hit five in one game under Pep Guardiola in the Premier League
A 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace in May 2017 was the first time City hit five in one game under Pep Guardiola in the Premier League / AFP Contributor/Getty Images

However, over the next two seasons, they'd reach the milestone at a canter - 11 times to be exact - as they secured back-to-back titles. A 5-0 victory against Liverpool in 2017/18 and the 6-0 demolition of Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea the following season stand out as two of the most memorable.

Nevertheless, their greatest margin of victory with Guardiola at the helm is their 8-0 win against Watford earlier this season. A campaign which also includes a 5-0 victory over West Ham and a 6-1 beat-down of Aston Villa at Villa Park.

So, while questions can be asked at the other end of the pitch at times of Pep's City, there's no doubting their attacking potency under Guardiola - even if they haven't been the most efficient unit this term.