Following an incident where Manchester City player Rico Lewis was hit by an object thrown from the crowd, Burnley has issued a forceful statement in response.
Heading into the inaugural match of the season, the spotlight was firmly directed toward Manchester City as they aimed to commence their Premier League title defense on a triumphant note.
Facing off against Pep Guardiola’s team were Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, a side that exhibited exceptional football en route to clinching the Championship championship in the previous season.
During Friday night’s match at Turf Moor, City demonstrated their prowess by securing a commanding 2-0 lead at halftime, with Erling Haaland netting a pair of goals.
However, during the first half, City defender Lewis was hit by an object thrown in his direction from the crowd.
A fan at Turf Moor appeared to throw an object at Rico Lewis during the first half of Man City-Burnley. pic.twitter.com/N6UMXNNU9z
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 11, 2023
Man City’s Rico Lewis struck by object thrown from Turf Moor crowd. Not the sort of thing you want to see no matter your rooting interests. pic.twitter.com/jJcjppnOg0
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) August 11, 2023
On the back of the incident, Burnley have released a statement.
It said: “We are aware of an incident that happened in the first half of the match where a missile was thrown at Manchester City player Rico Lewis. This is unacceptable.
“The person responsible has been identified and removed from the ground by the police.”
The statement continued: “Any individual found guilty of throwing missiles within the stadium will receive a banning order.”
We are aware of an incident that happened in the first half of the match where a missile was thrown at Manchester City player Rico Lewis.
This is unacceptable.
The person responsible has been identified and removed from the ground by the police.
Any individual found guilty of…— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) August 11, 2023
In the second half, last season’s Champions League winning goalscorer Rodri made it 3-0 after the ball fell perfectly into his path inside the penalty area.
Speaking whilst on commentary for Sky Sports, former England and Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was full of praise for Haaland.
He said: “Haaland doesn’t seem to bothered about the Community Shield. We saw it last season against Liverpool and again last week against Arsenal.
“But when it comes to the Premier League, he’s right on it. He’s on the bench with Pep, back to being best mates now.”
The Premier League continues on Saturday with six matches set to take place, the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle and Brighton will all be in action.