Manchester City were struggling at half time, bereft of inspiration and unable to piece their usually fluid passing game together.
Burnley had clearly allowed the Turf Moor pitch to dry out, not watering it before the game or at half-time, as is their right as the host club.
But the Blues, faced with the possibility of a draw which would hand the Premier League title initiative to rivals Liverpool, dug deep and turned it around.
They forced their passing game onto an unresponsive pitch, pinned the Clarets back deep in their own half and won it with a solitary Sergio Aguero goal.
It is at half-time in such games that managers truly earn their corn, and Pep Guardiola had to get his players functioning normally despite difficult conditions and a tough Burnley team which gave them no room in which to operate.
Aleks Zinchenko later revealed the message which Guardiola gave to his troops at half time to inspire the turnaround in fortunes.
“We should have started like we did in the second half from the beginning,” said the Ukraine international.
“The manager said that at half-time, and that we had to play quicker, it doesn’t matter that the pitch is dry, and other things.
“For us it was tough because we are not used to playing on a dry pitch. That is why our game was a little bit slower - but the pitch was the same for both sides.”
But it was not just overcoming the conditions – Guardiola urged his players to be bolder, to take risks by not ensuring full control of the ball before passing.
“We had to try to play quicker, don’t take that extra touch, and just show our desire to win the game – you can see that we did it,” said Zinchenko.
“You can see how tough it was but the important thing is that we have three massive points."
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