It was a faltering start for Burnley’s triumphant return to the top flight. First someone decided to host a pointless lights show in bright sunshine to get the crowd excited and then Erling Haaland opened the scoring for Manchester City in the fourth minute. Only one of them made an impact with a flash.

Neither event would do much to whip up a furore in most circumstances but the Burnley supporters are accustomed to what their side can do under Vincent Kompany. City were ahead but feeling the heat at Turf Moor thanks to the constant pressing from the home players and Burnley created half-chances without threatening, although the same could be said of City.

Related: Erling Haaland launches Manchester City to opening victory at Burnley

When Kevin De Bruyne was forced off with an injury in the 24th minute, Pep Guardiola called for Mateo Kovacic to make his debut. It was a defensive move for City, accepting they needed more in midfield to cope with their opponent’s exertions. Similar happened in the Champions League but Guardiola kept things equally attacking, an indication of what he thinks of Kompany and his tactics.

There was one mild issue for Burnley’s industrious side and he goes by the name Haaland. By half-time, his two trademark first-touch finishes inside the box had settled the game but it had done little to dent the optimism inside Turf Moor nor the relentless press.

This was a more pragmatic Burnley than the one that went toe-to-toe with City in the FA Cup in March and felt the harsh realities of facing the impending treble winners as a second-tier side. Six unanswered goals went in that evening at the Etihad and Kompany was eager to show he had learned his lesson from former tutor Guardiola.

On Friday, five defenders were set across the back to limit the space to thread passes through for Haaland et al, while Sander Berge and captain Josh Cullen made sure there was an added layer of protection in front. The Norwegian arrived at Burnley on Wednesday but already looked to have learned the complex demands of Kompany for a midfielder.