Phil Foden scored a superb hat-trick as Manchester City returned to winning ways in the Champions League group phase with a commanding victory over Greek side AEK Athens.
The England international delivered an outstanding performance, scoring three goals and providing an assist as City responded emphatically to their 4-2 home defeat by holders Paris St-Germain last week.
Elliot Anderson opened the scoring before Foden doubled the advantage, although AEK briefly threatened a comeback after the interval through Stavros Pilios. City quickly reasserted their dominance, with Rayan Cherki scoring before Foden added two more goals to complete his treble.
The result provided a convincing response from Enzo Maresca’s side, who had been looking to recover from last week’s disappointment in Europe.
City began the contest on the front foot and took the lead when Anderson reacted fastest to turn the ball home. The goal followed an effort from fellow summer signing Enzo Fernandez, whose free-kick struck the crossbar.
Allan also hit the woodwork shortly afterwards as the hosts continued to put pressure on their opponents.
Foden then extended City’s lead with an emphatic finish. Collecting a pass from Rico Lewis, the midfielder created space before unleashing a powerful effort into the roof of the net.
The goal was another encouraging moment for Foden, who had ended a spell without scoring when he found the net at the weekend. His latest contribution underlined his importance to City’s attacking performance.
AEK had struggled to create opportunities during the first half, but they gave themselves renewed hope seven minutes after the restart.
Full-back Stavros Pilios scored with a composed, driven finish, registering his side’s first shot on target and reducing the deficit.
However, City responded effectively to prevent the visitors from building on their goal.
Foden turned provider when he set up Rayan Cherki, who finished confidently to restore the hosts’ advantage and put them back in control of the contest.
The England midfielder then produced one of the standout moments of the match, striking a superb first-time effort into the top corner to increase City’s lead.
Foden completed his hat-trick 11 minutes later, finishing from close range to cap a remarkable individual display and put the result beyond doubt.
His three goals and assist made him the central figure in a performance that saw City score five times and recover convincingly from their previous Champions League setback.
The victory also offered a timely boost as the team turned its attention back to domestic action.
City will aim to maintain their flawless start in the Premier League when they travel to Aston Villa on Saturday. The match is scheduled to kick off at 12:30 BST, providing Maresca’s side with their next opportunity to build on the momentum generated by their European success.
