Man City 4-1 Aston Villa: Phil Foden's hat-trick takes Pep Guardiola's side to within one point of top spot
Phil Foden scored a sensational hat-trick as Manchester City beat Aston Villa 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium to keep the pressure on their title rivals.
Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne dropped to the bench for the Premier League champions but it was no impediment. Rodri opening the scoring early on and though Jhon Duran equalised it was the Foden show thereafter as he took the game away from Villa.
A free-kick late in the first half, a sweeping finish just after the hour and a rocket shot from the edge of the box, it was masterful as he moved past 20 goals for the campaign with his second hat-trick of the season. No Haaland and no problem for Pep Guardiola.
With Arsenal winning against Luton, the result was not enough to take City to the top of the Premier League table but they did move level on points with second-placed Liverpool overnight. Villa remain fourth, two points clear of Tottenham, but now having played an extra game.
The inclusion of Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish, making his first Premier League start of 2024, freed up Foden to occupy a more central role and it was from there that the England midfielder crafted City's opening goal early on. It was to be just the start.
Foden fed Doku down the right channel and the flying winger cut the ball back for Rodri to beat Robin Olsen in the Villa goal. The Swedish stopper was deputising for Emiliano Martinez, who went down ill just before kick-off. There was little he could do.
The expectation at that point was that this might be a routine evening for City against a depleted Villa side that included only four of the same starting line-up that had outplayed the reigning Premier League champions at Villa Park in December.
But a slick counter-attack changed the mood. Duran played
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