Magnificent Foden Hat-trick Sees Man City Cruise Past Aston Villa
Phil Foden claims his second hat-trick this year as Manchester City ease past Aston Villa 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium, as they continue their hunt to win the Premier League. Rodri opened the scoring early-on, having linked up with Jeremy Doku down the right to slot home a low, pinpoint cross.
Unai Emery’s side hit back shortly after thanks to Jhon Duran. Villa spent a lot of the game looking to break quickly from deep, with their goal coming from this scenario. Duran and Morgan Rogers linked up on the edge of City’s box which saw Duran’s low finish evade Stefan Ortega in City’s goal.
On the second minute of added time at the end of the first half, Foden scored his first from a free kick just outside the edge of the box. Villa fans will be furious that the wall didn’t do their job, with Nicolo Zaniolo jumping out the way allowing to strike to go straight in.
Foden scored his second on the 62nd minute after Rodri’s nimble play on the edge of the box to set him up for the first-time finish.
Only seven minutes later Foden completed his hat-trick after his beautifully hit shot torpedoed into the top left-hand corner. No chance for Robin Olsen in-goal.
City limited the amount of chances Villa had, with Moussa Diaby setting-up Douglas Luiz inside the box for the shot but Ortega saved well.
The resulting corner forced another save from Ortega as Clement Lenglet flicked the ball on which the ‘keeper dealt with. Ederson has not been missed since his injury thanks to Ortega’s reminiscent performances.
Pep Guardiola will be glad how well his team played against a tricky Villa side, who did beat them earlier in the season at Villa Park. His side finished with 68% of the possession and took 25 shots, reinforcing their domination.
After back-to-back draws against their title rivals, it’s business as usual for Pep’s side as they look to build momentum going into the final few weeks, as they pursue an unprecedented fourth title in a row.
In a match where Villa were unlikely to take any points away, a home game against Brentford on Saturday will be an excellent chance to reinstate their top 4 credentials. A chance to qualify for a competition they haven’t been involved in since 1982/83 will be easy motivation for Emery’s side.
Lineups:
Manchester City: S. Ortega, R. Lewis, R. Dias, M. Akanji, J. Gvardiol, Rodri, B. Silva, P. Foden, J. Doku, J. Grealish, J. Alvarez.
Subs: S. Carson, S. Gomez, J. Stones, M. Nunes, K. De Bruyne, M. Kovacic, O. Bobb, E. Haaland, M. Susoho.
Aston Villa: R. Olsen, E. Konsa, C. Lenglet, D. Carlos, L. Digne, D. Luiz, T. Iroegbunam, M. Diaby, M. Rogers, N. Zaniolo, J. Duran.
Subs: Y. Tielemans, P. Torres, A. Moreno, C. Chambers, J. Guaci, K. Kesler-Hayden, L. Bailey, O. Kellyman.
