By Martyn Herman
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland said the result was all that mattered after his side claimed a 1-0 Premier League win at Burnley on Wednesday that lifted them above Arsenal on goals scored.
The Norwegian scored the only goal despite City registering 28 shots, nine of them on target.
“We had a lot of chances but I’m happy, we won and that’s the most important thing,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“It’s all about winning, no matter how. We try to play our football and we just try to win, that’s what you need in your mindset.
“Don’t think about goals, think about winning.”
Both Man City and Arsenal have 70 points from 33 games and an identical goal difference of +37 with five matches left to play. City are top by virtue of having scored three more goals than the London side.
City host Southampton next in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday, before facing Everton in the Premier League on May 4.
City ended Arsenal’s six-month stay at the summit and condemned Burnley to relegation with a laboured victory at Turf Moor.
Haaland’s clinical finish after five minutes could have paved the way for a boost to City’s goal difference but they lacked a cutting edge as Burnley dug deep.
Haaland hit the post and had other chances as City tried to give themselves a safety margin but Pep Guardiola’s side had to make do with a surprisingly narrow victory.
After reeling Arsenal in they now lead the table on goals scored with both sides on 70 points from 33 games and with an identical goal difference of plus 37.
For Scott Parker’s Burnley the inevitable has now become a reality as they are stuck on 20 points, 13 points behind the safety zone with only four games remaining.
“We played a really good game, unfortunately we missed a lot of chances. We defended better in the second half. Second half we had less problems,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“It was such a demanding game on Sunday. It is not easy after three days but in the Premier League you have to adjust. We are used to doing it. We competed really well, we made a really good game but it’s a pity the chances we had.”
City’s fans sang “we are top of the league” at the final whistle as their team hit the top but it was with a mixture of relief as they could never truly relax as Burnley betrayed their lowly status with a spirited display.
Arsenal have led the race since early October but have stalled in April and Haaland’s winner in a 2-1 victory against them at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday has given City the edge.
With the race so tight, however, they would have expected to sweep Burnley aside by a wider margin on Wednesday and given themselves the edge on goal difference.
It certainly looked that way at the start as Burnley keeper Martin Dubravka made a great save from Rayan Cherki before Haaland was played through and the Norwegian advanced before dinking a subtle left-footed finish past the keeper.
I came here with a dream to keep this club up. Hopefully we can do the fans proud next season
— Burnley captain Kyle Walker
City had 10 goal attempts before the break although Burnley were a threat with Jaidon Anthony having an early shot saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma while Zian Flemming shot wide.
Antoine Semenyo poked a chance over the bar early in the second half and Haaland drifted a shot against the post as City strained for a second goal.
In the end it was a nervous finale as Burnley won a corner deep in stoppage time with Dubravka sent forward, but City avoided any stumble to take the points.
While they may have hit the top after stretching their unbeaten league run to 11, City will need to play better in a relatively tough run-in to win a fifth title in six seasons.
They also are at a disadvantage with Arsenal playing twice in the league before City’s next league game away at Everton.
For Burnley it is a second relegation in three seasons, having come up from the Championship with 100 points.
“I came here with a dream to keep this club up,” Burnley captain Kyle Walker, a multiple title winner with City, said. “Hopefully we can do the fans proud next season.”