Manchester City’s Phil Foden showcased his brilliance with a sensational hat-trick, leading his team to a commanding 4-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium and keeping the pressure on Premier League title contenders Arsenal and Liverpool.
Despite resting key players Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne, City, under the guidance of manager Pep Guardiola, displayed their dominance over injury-hit Villa, who suffered the additional setback of losing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to illness just before kick-off.
City took the lead in the 11th minute through Rodri, who finished clinically from Jeremy Doku’s delivery. However, Villa responded swiftly, with Jhon Duran equalizing nine minutes later with a composed finish past Stefan Ortega.
Nevertheless, Foden took over the game, restoring City’s advantage just before halftime with a well-placed free-kick, albeit aided by Villa’s Nicolo Zaniolo’s wall-breaking turn.
Foden then extended City’s lead in the 62nd minute, capitalizing on Rodri’s setup, before completing his hat-trick in style seven minutes later with a superb strike from outside the box.
City could have added a fifth in stoppage time, but Sergio Gomez’s effort struck the outside of the post after a cut-back from Josko Gvardiol.
The victory sees City level on points with Liverpool and trailing league leaders Arsenal by just one point.