Kevin McDonald had the last word in an amazing six-goal thriller which brought Burnley their first away point of the season and condemned Manchester City to a fifth successive draw.
Graham Alexander's penalty and a Steven Fletcher effort seemed to have Burnley well placed for their first top-flight away win since April 1976.
But Shaun Wright-Phillips breathed fresh life into the home side two minutes before half-time and Kolo Toure and Craig Bellamy seemed to have set the stage for a City win in 15 raucous minutes either side of the break.
However, after spending almost all the second period on the back foot, Burnley found a final burst of energy three minutes from time.
Substitute David Nugent crossed for Fletcher, whose nod back invited McDonald's gleeful finish.
quickly exposed
It was with a sense of purpose that Alexander drilled home the penalty after Joleon Lescott had handled Tyrone Mears' right-wing cross.
Any sense that was a fluke was quickly exposed, as was Wayne Bridge's defending, when Fletcher doubled the visitors' lead.
Bridge found himself upfield and totally helpless as Robbie Blake's quick free-kick opened up City.
Of the three men who filled the left-back area Bridge was supposed to be patrolling, it was Chris Eagles who received the ball. Fletcher's run was timed to perfection and the cross made his finish easy.
It was no surprise Wright-Phillips was the man who struck for City two minutes before the break, his shot flicking off former City defender Stephen Jordan to raise hopes of a successful second-half comeback.
Within 13 minutes the seeds of a revival had reached full bloom, Burnley's marking coming under question on both occasions.
simplicity itself
First Lescott got behind Clarke Carlisle at the far post to reach a Gareth Barry free-kick and steer it into Toure's path.
The City skipper was coming in as Burnley's defenders were rushing out. The ensuing tap-in was simplicity itself.
City's third was not quite a replica but the cross from Wright-Phillips, who had been sent galloping into the box by Stephen Ireland, was from the same side.
And Bellamy was also in oceans of space as he fired home the fifth goal of a very impressive season.
The Welshman set up Carlos Tevez as Burnley struggled to cope but the Argentina star was off target as he arrived at pace and tried to turn the ball home.
When Adebayor just failed to reach Martin Petrov's cross there was a sense Burnley would have one last opportunity to salvage themselves. McDonald did not let his team down.
