Raheem Sterling picks his moment perfectly to spark Man City selection dilemma

Raheem Sterling wasn't happy with himself. Given the chance to score at Burnley, he had shanked it wide.

This isn't 2018 though and there is no need for Mikel Arteta to jump to the defence of the striker with an impatient Pep Guardiola, because Sterling proved his worth to the manager long ago and had already done so in this very match.

The chance he missed was both difficult and largely created by his brilliance. It was the man who captained England in the week who needed just one touch to bring the ball out of the air and shuffle it sideways to Phil Foden, then before any Claret shirts could react he was charging past the beleaguered Charlie Taylor and attempting to volley past the onrushing Nick Pope as Foden's ball dropped for him.

READ MORE: Nathan Ake helps Man City claim clear advantage for Liverpool FC game

It would have been a sensational goal, but nobody bar Sterling minded the miss - not least because he had already put them in control of the game. An excellent assist for Kevin De Bruyne was followed by an even better one for Ilkay Gundogan as City's response to being knocked off top spot was to make a mockery of what is usually one of the most difficult away days.

Whatever dips he may have, Sterling's quality always rises to the top. It did in 2018 when he convinced Guardiola he could be clinical in front of goal, it did last year when he returned from six months out of favour to become one of their most important players again, and it has done again to bring City one step closer to a trophy that Sterling and Guardiola take the most satisfaction from winning.

The only problem for the coach is that the man-of-the-match performance came from Riyad Mahrez's preferred spot on the right wing. Mahrez is clear