Phil Foden scored a hat-trick as Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 win over AEK Athens, their second Champions League victory of the campaign. Foden had waited 10 months for a goal before four arrived in back-to-back outings, adding to his strike against Ipswich at the weekend with three tidy finishes, the first two from Rico Lewis assists.
City had far too much quality for their Greek visitors despite leaving Erling Haaland in the stands. Enzo Maresca allowed 17-year-old Floyd Samba to deputise in his place, and Maresca proved his point in doing so: City have many other means of scoring beyond Haaland. Elliot Anderson was also on target in a dominant first half that included 10 efforts on Alberto Brignoli's goal, with Allan striking the crossbar and Rayan Cherki going close.
AEK failed to land a shot on target until Stavros Pilios pulled a goal back early in the second period, but their hope was short-lived. Cherki scored City's third five minutes later to kill any suggestion of a comeback, and Foden completed a statement hat-trick. It was the first time he had scored three times in the same game since April 2024.
Foden has felt a long way from his best since the City Academy graduate, a known favourite of Pep Guardiola, was last among the goals. Maresca backed him to return to form, saying: "I know how good he is. We are trying to help him because we are sure he's going to help us." His latest display was somewhere close to perfect.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing