Foden’s hat-trick shows City’s options without Haaland

Phil Foden scored a hat-trick and set up another goal as Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League, offering a glimpse of how the England midfielder could help lead the attack when Erling Haaland is unavailable. [1]

Haaland was named in City’s squad but rested after taking a blow to the foot in the previous match. Foden began on the right before moving into a false-nine role, which he said he enjoyed.

The 26-year-old’s goals included a first-time finish into the top corner. He became the third English player to score a Champions League hat-trick and provide an assist in the same match, after Wayne Rooney in 2004 and Raheem Sterling in 2019.

Foden said he was “going in the right direction” but still had “a long way to go” to return to his best. His hat-trick came after he scored against Ipswich on Saturday, ending a run of 10 months without a Premier League goal.

City manager Enzo Maresca said Foden had faced problems over the past two years but would help the team. Former City defender Joleon Lescott said the performance had made a case for Foden playing at number nine if Haaland were unavailable.

Foden scored 19 goals in City’s 2023-24 Premier League title-winning campaign and was named both the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year and the league’s player of the season. He signed a new four-year contract in July, despite having failed to score in his final 31 appearances for club and country.