Phil Foden has followed a 35-game wait for a City goal by scoring four times in two matches as the England international begins to rediscover his form.
Foden ended a 10-month wait for a City goal against Ipswich Town on Saturday before scoring a hat-trick in Tuesday’s 5-1 Champions League victory over AEK Athens.
The 26-year-old also created Rayan Cherki’s goal against the Greek champions, leaving him with four goals and an assist across City’s past two games. It is a significant change in fortunes for Foden after a difficult period in front of goal, while his performance against AEK brought further landmarks.
Foden moves level with Lampard
Foden’s treble was his fourth hat-trick for City and his first in the Champions League, taking his career total in the competition to 23 goals. That moves him level with former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard among English Champions League goalscorers.
Only Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling and Paul Scholes have scored more, with Foden now just one goal behind Scholes. His three goals against AEK also leave him with three in this season’s Champions League, one behind the competition’s leading scorers after Tuesday’s matches.
More important for City will be the signs that Foden is finding his rhythm again. He operated in a false-nine role for part of Tuesday’s game and combined effectively with Rico Lewis, who created two of his goals.
Speaking after the victory, Foden acknowledged that he is not yet back to his best but said he feels he is moving in the right direction.
His recent numbers support that assessment. After going 35 City appearances without scoring, Foden has needed only two games to add four goals to his tally. The next test comes at Aston Villa on Saturday, when Foden will have the chance to carry that resurgence back into the Premier League.
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