No Haaland, no problem, as brilliant Foden fires hat-trick

Premier League: Man City 4 Aston Villa 1

Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were “dropped” by Pep Guardiola but a stunning Phil Foden hat-trick reminded rivals at home and abroad that reports of Manchester City’s demise may be woefully premature.

Having put City 2-1 in front just before the break, the unmarked Foden eased the understandable angst around the Etihad on 62 minutes, planting a clever finish into the bottom corner from just inside the area, after Rodri had put three defenders out of the game with a brilliant assist.

There was even better to come on 70 minutes, when Foden slipped on receiving a Rodri pass but recovered to win the ball off Morgan Rogers before despatching a brilliant finish from 20 yards.

The gamble to rest De Bruyne and Haaland was a bold one - arguably one of the boldest of Guardiola’s reign at the Etihad.

But by half-time, as City held a tenuous 2-1 lead, it looked like a good one, thanks to a moment of genius from another of his other major frontline superstars who was on his way to taking his tally for the season to 21.

Foden struck a magnificent 20-yard free-kick, through Ezra Konsa and Nicolo Zaniolo in the Villa wall, and past the diving Robin Olsen to put City in ahead at the interval.

In fact, City could have been in an even stronger position but for the performance of Olsen, a late call-up for just his second league game of the season after Emilio Martinez reported sick just before kick-off.

Olsen leaped to tip a header from Haaland stand-in Julian Alvarez over the bar in the fifth minute of first half added time and had already stuck out a leg to deny Alvarez what looked a certain goal after clever play with Rico Lewis.

So, not for the first time, Guardiola looked like he had