Phil Foden produced a masterclass performance with three goals as Manchester City overwhelmed AEK Athens with a commanding 5-1 victory to secure their second Champions League win of the season. According to Sky Sports, the English winger's clinical finishing proved far too much for the Greek visitors to handle.
Foden's treble capped a remarkable personal turnaround after enduring a 10-month goal drought. His recent resurgence has been striking, with the City Academy graduate now having scored four times across consecutive matches—adding his hat-trick here to the strike he registered against Ipswich at the weekend. The first two of his goals came from assists supplied by Rico Lewis, showcasing the depth of attacking talent at Enzo Maresca's disposal.
Manchester City's dominance was evident throughout, particularly given that Erling Haaland remained unused on the bench. Maresca's decision to deploy 17-year-old Floyd Samba as the Norwegian's replacement underlined a crucial tactical point: the club possesses multiple avenues to goals beyond their star striker. The hosts peppered the AEK goal with 10 shots in a devastating first-half display that left Alberto Brignoli constantly under siege.
Elliot Anderson joined the scoring sheet during that opening period, while Rayan Cherki came close on several occasions and Allan struck the crossbar as City carved out chance after chance. The Greek side offered little resistance in attack, failing to register a single shot on target until well into the second half.
AEK's brief moment of hope arrived early in the second period when Stavros Pilios pulled one back to make it 4-1, but any notion of a comeback was swiftly extinguished. Cherki restored City's commanding advantage with their third goal just five minutes later, before Foden applied the finishing touch to his outstanding display by completing his hat-trick and delivering a statement performance.
The last occasion Foden had scored three times in a single match came in April 2024, making this display particularly significant. For a player widely regarded as a Pep Guardiola favourite, this performance represented a return to the dazzling form that has defined his career at the club—a display that came remarkably close to perfection.
