FIVE seasons ago the Premier League champions were famously beaten on a summer’s evening at Turf Moor, but it proved to be a false dawn as the Clarets season collapsed in the spring and they returned to the Championship.

On Saturday the champions, this time from the other side of Manchester, were again vanquished at home, and now Sean Dyche’s side must use this as a catalyst to pull off a footballing miracle come the end of May.

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Aston Villa’s riotous afternoon at the Stadium of Light had threatened to see Burnley become detached from the pack, with a four-point gap opening up between the bottom three and the rest.

But how they responded when they took to the field against Manuel Pellegrini’s star-studded Manchester City side.

In that league campaign of five years ago City visited Turf Moor in a late Saturday afternoon kick-off at the start of April and took advantage of a Clarets side that was falling apart. They were 3-0 up after seven minutes and ended up winning 6-1.

This vintage is made of sterner stuff though and, after the stunning comeback at the Etihad Stadium in December, City always knew they were going to be in a game. But knowing that and doing something about it are two different things.

After a run of just two draws and five defeats from seven games the need for points was becoming critical, but the Clarets responded with their finest performance of the season.

It had been three months since they last kept a clean sheet and defensive frailties were threatening to derail the survival bid.

But Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Wilfried Bony, David Silva and Jesus Navas were kept quiet on Saturday as Burnley produced a stunning defensive performance.

Dyche had sprung a surprise before kick-off with the return of 37-year-old Michael Duff, just a day after it was announced he would have a testimonial this summer to honour his 11 years of service.

If the £38m Aguero was licking his lips about facing the veteran who hadn’t started in the Premier League since November 22 he was in for a shock, as Duff produced a defensive masterclass to show why he wants to carry on playing beyond the summer.

City had scored in 20 consecutive top flight away games and would have fancied their chances of getting the two goals they needed for 1,000 Premier League goals, but alongside Duff captain Jason Shackell was immense, while the former City youngsters at full-back, Kieran Trippier and Ben Mee, played their part.

Duff’s return wasn’t the only change to the starting line-up, with Dyche making two alterations for the first time since November 1.

He had promised that his side would keep attacking, no matter the opposition, and he was true to his word as Sam Vokes came in for Michael Kightly. Ashley Barnes started on the left, but drifted into the penalty area when the ball went wide.

With Pellegrini also packing his side with attacking talents, goals looked a certainty. There had been 45 of them in the past nine meetings between the two sides.

But from the first whistle Burnley’s pressing game was in evidence as they gave the visitors no time on the ball.

It took City a while to get into their stride but they took control in the final 20 minutes of the first half.

On the half hour Heaton saved Dzeko’s shot with his feet. At the other end Scott Arfield tested Joe Hart from distance.

A minute later City produced a lovely move on the edge of the box that ended with Silva playing in Dzeko, but he was denied by a brilliant last-gasp tackle from Shackell.

City’s best chance came six minutes after the break, when Aguero launched a counter attack.

His pass played in Silva, but surprisingly the Spaniard couldn’t control it and ended up running wide, making the save easy for Heaton.

After that it was the Clarets who grew in confidence, backed by an increasingly vociferous Turf Moor crowd.

George Boyd hooked a right-footed volley just wide of Hart’s goal, and it was a sign of things to come.

Just after the hour Trippier’s free kick was headed away softly by Vincent Kompany and the ball fell to Boyd 19 yards from goal. He struck a sweet left-footed half-volley which arrowed through a crowded penalty area and into the bottom corner of the goal. Turf Moor erupted.

City tried to respond but struggled to create chances.

Aguero headed over and Bony fired straight at Heaton.

Then came the moment Turf Moor held its collective breath. Two minutes into injury time Zabaleta burst into the box and went down under Mee’s challenge. All eyes turned to Andre Marriner.

Thankfully he waved away the appeals. City could feel aggrieved, but if you’re going to beat the champions you need a stroke of luck to go with a heavy dose of resilience.

The final whistle was greeted with a roar from three sides of Turf Moor. Burnley believes.

Now to make sure the four points taken from the champions don’t turn out to be worthless.