Phil Foden has given Manchester City fans a timely reminder of just how special he can be. The England star lit up the Etihad on Tuesday night, producing a man-of-the-match display in City’s 5-1 Champions League demolition of AEK Athens and raising an intriguing question: with Erling Haaland sidelined, can Foden become City’s alternative goalscorer?
Phil Foden (Credits: BBC Sport)
Foden had a hand in four of the five goals, bagging a superb hat-trick and adding an assist in a performance that felt like a return to the form that made him the PFA Player of the Year in 2023-24. His second goal was the pick of the bunch, a stunning first-time finish from just inside the box, caressed into the top corner after he opened up his body beautifully.
“I enjoyed that a lot,” Foden told TNT Sports afterward. “I am a forward so I have to keep scoring and helping the team. It is good for my confidence.”
A Rare Champions League Feat
The numbers tell the story of a landmark night. Foden became only the third Englishman ever to score a hat-trick and provide an assist in a Champions League match, following Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2004 and his former teammate Raheem Sterling for City in 2019.
It caps a remarkable turnaround. After two disappointing seasons in which, by his own admission, he failed to hit the heights expected, Foden came into this campaign promising a “fresh start” under new manager Enzo Maresca. It had been a slow burn, with a low point coming via a red card for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes in the September Manchester derby, before he finally sparked into life with a goal against Ipswich on Saturday, his first Premier League strike in 10 months.
The False Nine Experiment
With Haaland given the night off after sustaining a blow to the foot, Maresca rotated heavily, making eight changes from the side that beat Ipswich. The boss had recently suggested Foden could offer a “solution” in the false nine role, and Tuesday was his chance to prove it. Foden started on the right before drifting centrally later in the game, and it paid dividends.
“Beautiful, that’s the word I would use to describe him,” former City defender Joleon Lescott said on TNT Sports. “His finishing was exquisite. I think he has convinced the manager that if Erling Haaland isn’t available for any reason throughout the season, then he is the man to play at number nine.”
Maresca was equally glowing: “I said since day one that I consider him one of the best English players.”
Foden signed a new four-year deal in July, and after failing to score in his last 31 games for club and country last season, this looks like the night the real Phil Foden came back.
Also Read: Haaland a Doubt, Semenyo Out for Eight Weeks: What Are Man City’s Options Against AEK Athens?
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
