Manchester City F.C. easily defeats Aston Villa F.C. thanks to a brilliant hat-trick from Phil Foden.
As they did against Aston Villa tonight, Manchester City F.C.’s only options are to defeat their next opponent and hope that Liverpool and Arsenal lose their remaining games in this exciting championship race.The four points that were lost in the draws in their previous two games against their title rivals are the cause of this situation. And in Unai Emery’s Champions League contenders, City faced and triumphed over the team right beneath them, achieving a victory over a top-six team at last.They accomplished this without the use of substitutes Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne and with the help of Phil Foden, whose brilliant hat-trick elevated his season total to 21 goals and crowned City’s victory. The champions will now watch Liverpool’s performance at Anfield on Thursday before traveling to Crystal Palace for a 12.30 p.m. match on Saturday.
In their last three league games, Villa had records of loss, draw, and win; at that time, they had collected four points as opposed to five for City. Despite being included in the visiting team’s starting lineup, Emiliano Martínez fell ill, forcing Robin Olsen to replace the captain for his second league game of the year.Emery’s team was also without Ollie Watkins, their 22-goal striker, because of a hamstring issue. Jhon Durán entered the void and scored his first goal in just his second league start.Initially, however, Haaland’s replacement, Julián Álvarez, grabbed a Jack Grealish ball but struck the side net. The former Villa captain’s opposite right flanker, Jérémy Doku, won a free-kick that Foden launched and Olsen plucked out of the air.
Using wings to identify openings and capitalize on them is a defining characteristic of Pep Guardiola’s city. Grealish was being jeered by his former supporters, but he did not care as he misled Villa’s right side before Rodri scored the game’s first goal from Doku’s flank.Foden gave possession back to Manuel Akanji by passing backward. With a deftly cunning ball to Doku, Foden has now demonstrated why he looks like De Bruyne. When the Belgian zipped a cross to Rodri, the finish resembled one of his pinpoint passes, giving Olsen no chance.
The home team responded to Rodri’s encouragement to pump up the volume by making louder noises. They soon stopped talking. Durán’s equalizer was a classic example of how to get past City. After attacking in Villa’s area one moment, Álvarez switched passes with Morgan Rogers and swerved a shot from a left angle into Stefan Ortega’s far corner the next time they broke. A Grealish volley that skidded wide and a phase in which they lost the plot characterized City’s counterattack. After Lucas Digne’s challenge on Doku went unpunished, Guardiola threw a fit and threw it at Robert Jones, the fourth official, before Grealish was booked. After that, the city returned to its engineering chances. Villa was saved by Olsen’s leg as Álvarez fired a shot and burst along the right channel. The Argentina forward was then fed by Doku in a similar zone, and he scored spectacularly. But in the extra half-hour, it was much better.
The England international beat Olsen to his right with a free kick after Douglas Luiz pulled him down on the edge of the area. Foden’s shot went through a hole in Villa’s defense. Cut to Olsen tipping over Álvarez’s header to end an entertaining first half, much to the chagrin of Emery and delight of Guardiola. Emery’s ire might have been directed towards Nicolò Zaniolo because he was the hole in the wall. In theory, the manager would have approved of Josko Gvardiol blocking Moussa Diaby’s drive in a contest far more open than City’s goalless affair with Arsenal.Thus, City needed a cushion in order to be comfortable. Doku and Bernardo Silva’s shots helped to provide this as they purred and moved the ball around. However, they were almost taken by surprise once more when Villa accosted them, prowled the field, and witnessed Douglas Luiz’s attempt to enter the area being thwarted by Ortega.
Emery’s strategy was exactly the same as Mikel Arteta’s: a strong defensive line combined with a wait to attack their hosts. The latest to attempt the ruse was Zaniolo, whose effort inside City’s box required Rúben Dias to risk his life in order to thwart it. However, Villa was powerless to stop a Foden second that was set up by incredible Rodri footwork. That took out three players before the regal midfielder moved the ball to Foden, whose shot was a well-aimed rocket that Olsen could only watch.Foden scored his third goal with a brilliant move where he recovered the ball and rifled the roof of Olsen’s net from Villa D. It made him, Guardiola, and every fan of City go crazy. Additionally, it meant Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes could enter for the final minutes, giving Rodri and Silva a chance to relax.It also meant that Haaland and De Bruyne had the entire evening off, which could prove invaluable for their trip to Real Madrid the following week after Palace. The applause Foden received upon being replaced was heartfelt and well-earned.
One thought on “Manchester City F.C. easily defeats Aston Villa F.C. thanks to a brilliant hat-trick from Phil Foden”