Rico Lewis of Manchester City was attacked by Burnley fans during the Premier League opening match on Friday, 11th of August, 2023.
The 2023/2024 English Premier League campaign kicks off at Turf Moor where newly promoted Burnley led by former Man City player Vincent Kompany hosted the current treble-winning team.
The match was dominated by Manchester City where a Burnley fan created a nasty scene by throwing an object at Rico Lewis, a defender for the Sky Blue jersey team.
What happened to Rico Lewis?
The 18-year-old Man City defender was hit by a lighter thrown from the crowd at Turf Moor Stadium during their match against Burnley.
Burnley’s Connor Roberts and Luca Koleosho shoved Lewis to the ground in disgust as he challenged for the ball at the corner flag, prompting a foul and a City free-kick.
Lewis was plainly in pain when a lighter from the home crowd went toward his head as he was attempting to stand up. After an exhilarating opening 45 minutes of the new Premier League season, it left a bitter aftertaste.
After the incident, which occurred halfway through City’s 3-0 victory in the first half, the young player was left cradling his head.
Lewis was thankfully not seriously hurt and was able to continue. In the 79th minute, he was replaced by newcomer Josko Gvardiol, who was making his debut for the Citizens.
Later, Burnley released a statement on social media stating that the irate fan had been identified and was now being escorted out of the stadium by law enforcement.
They 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”.
They added; “Any individual found guilty of throwing missiles within the stadium will receive a banning order”.
Burnley vs Manchester City in brief
Erling Haaland started his 2023–24 season account after just four minutes, giving City an early lead. But as Burnley increased their pressure in the middle of the first half in an attempt to equalize, tempers flared, resulting in dismal scenes.
After the incident, Haaland expertly added a second to give City a complete control and send a message to anyone trying to prevent them from winning a record-breaking fourth straight championship that they are still unstoppable.
Then, in the 36th minute, the prolific scorer from Norway doubled City’s advantage by curling in Julian Alvarez’s lay-off after Kyle Walker had sent the ball into the penalty area.
Rodri scored to make it 3-0 for City following a brief VAR check for handball, the goal remained afterward.
To top off a terrible night on their return to the top flight, Burnley were later reduced to 10 men in the 94th minute of play after a VAR check.
What’s next for Burnley?
Vincent Kompany’s men will be preparing for their second match where they’ll host Aston Villa at Turf Moore Stadium on Sunday, 27th of August, 2023.
Manchester City, on the other hand, will be getting ready for their UEFA Super Cup final match where they’ll face Sevilla on Wednesday, 16th of August, 2023.
