Phil Foden produced a statement performance at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, scoring his first Champions League hat-trick as Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 victory over AEK Athens, according to Sky Sports.
Elliot Anderson opened the scoring in the 12th minute with his first goal for the club, before Foden struck in the 34th, 65th and 76th minutes — the first two set up by Rico Lewis assists, Sky Sports reports. Rayan Cherki added the fifth in the 57th minute, while Stavros Pilios pulled one back for the Greek visitors early in the second half. The result was City's tenth win in twelve matches in all competitions this season.
Foden had waited ten months for a goal before four arrived in back-to-back outings, Sky Sports notes, with his strike against Ipswich at the weekend preceding this treble — his first hat-trick since April 2024. The England international told reporters after the match simply: "I enjoyed that a lot."
Remarkably, City did it without Erling Haaland, who was rested after an injury scare against Ipswich, with 17-year-old Floyd Samba deputising up front. Manager Enzo Maresca made eight changes to his starting XI and confirmed afterwards that Haaland "is okay to start on Saturday" against Aston Villa in the Premier League, according to City Xtra.
The treble was Foden's fourth career hat-trick in all competitions and continued a timely return to form after a frustrating start to the campaign that included a sending-off in September's Manchester derby, according to City Xtra. It also proved Maresca's point about squad depth: with Haaland rested following an injury scare, City still hit five. The manager confirmed his star striker is "okay to start on Saturday" when Aston Villa visit the Etihad in the Premier League's lunchtime kick-off.