Burnley players looked dejected as they headed to The Ivy in Manchester just hours after a final day defeat to Newcastle saw them relegated from the Premier League as they gatecrashed Manchester City’s title celebrations at the same venue.
The Clarets’ longest stay in the Premier League came to a sad end at Turf Moor on Sunday as Callum Wilson’s brace for Newcastle proved devastating for their survival hopes.
Agonisingly, a victory for the hosts would have sealed their survival but defeat to the Toon and a win for Leeds, thanks to Jack Harrison’s injury-time winner, saw Burnley condemned to the Championship.
The freshly-relegated squad managed to rally themselves to head out to The Ivy on Sunday evening, despite being booed by their own fans that afternoon.
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Some Burnley players were spotted at the Manchester hotspot wearing sombre expressions just hours after their relegation was confirmed.
Defender Phil Bardsley was seen arriving at the restaurant with his wife and former Real Housewives of Cheshire star, Tanya Bardsley.
Erik Pieters also headed into The Ivy with his spouse and Tanya Bardsley’s former co-star, Nermina.
Both players looked dejected ahead of their meal but the Pieters did manage small smiles for the cameras.
At the other end of the table, Manchester City stars were also out at The Ivy but their fortunes were rather different to Burnley’s.
While the Clarets drowned their sorrows, they appeared to gatecrash the freshly crowned City players’ party as they toasted their title success at the same venue.
The Premier League champions’ title celebrations continued long into the night after the incredible final day of the season saw them retain the title in stunning fashion.
City looked to be heading for a shock defeat at home against Aston Villa at 2-0 down with 14 minutes to play, but then three goals in five minutes, consisting of an Ilkay Gundogan brace and a Rodri strike, ensured the title would be staying at the Etihad Stadium at the expense of Liverpool.
To celebrate their success after the final game of the season, City stars took to the Ivy restaurant in Manchester city center where the first-team players, their WAGS and manager Pep Guardiola partied until 3am before leaving bleary eyed following the end of a gruelling campaign .
Among those pictured out celebrating were City’s man of the hour, Gundogan, star player Kevin De Bruyne, wingers Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden, defender Aymeric Laporte and boss Guardiola.
Jack Grealish certainly looked to have enjoyed the celebrations, as he stumbled out of the restaurant with assistance, having promised he would make the most of winning the Premier League for the first time in his career.
Following the Clarets’ defeat, striker Ashley Barnes shared his devastation at his side’s drop.
‘Obviously it’s a tough one to take,’ Barnes told Sky Sports.
‘We had it in our hands and we obviously gave it away. It’s a sad, sad day for everyone involved in the club but hopefully next year we can bounce back.
‘We can not use any excuses – it’s down to ourselves.
‘Three wins in the first 20 games or something is relegation form. We gave ourselves some hope in these last few games but it was not to be.
‘We’re all to blame for the job we’ve not done. It lies on our shoulders especially us older ones. ‘
Asked if it was his lowest point, he replied: ‘Definitely. It’s a sad day for me. ‘
Meanwhile, speaking post-match to the BBC, caretaker manager Mike Jackson insisted he could not have demanded more from his players – before hailing their supporters for sticking with them.
‘It’s raw, we’ve got a group of players who are gutted,’ he said.
‘I do not think there is any other word to say about that. The effort they’ve put in since we came in has been brilliant.
‘Today we’ve come out on the wrong side of chasing the game. We had some really good chances but could not take them.
‘There wasn’t much in the game but we gave the penalty away and they could sit in a bit more. You end up chasing it and do not get the rhythm.
‘There is a lot of emotion in it. I’m gutted for everyone involved but proud as well as I could not have asked any more from them.
On the fans, he added: ‘They stuck with us even at the end. It’s their club. we’re gutted we couldn’t give them what they wanted.
‘I hope they saw a group that was fighting for them.’
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