It was a night to remember for Manchester City fans! The team was back at its attacking best and this kind of a performance puts it firmly in the race for championship even though they may have fluffed a great chance by drawing at Arsenal during the weekend when they absolutely dominated the match but failed to score. And the men on fire against Aston Villa? Not Erling Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne. They were left warming the bench even though this was a very crucial match for Pep Guardiola to win and win in style.

Win they did and that too with supreme confidence and attacking flair and the men who did it were none other than the indefatigable Rodri and the firecracker that is Phil Foden.

The match started with both sides settling in quickly, but the skirmishes did not add up to much till the 11th minute came along and Rodri stepped up with an amazing move with the ball ending up in the net. Manchester City was seen at its best in this move. City men swarmed the Villa half for a lengthy period and the pressure tells. The man-of-the-match Foden set Doku up on the right and his low-ball cross into the box was met by Rodri who smashed it past the Villa goalie.

However, due to a momentary lapse of reason on the part of City at the back, led to Villa pull one back with Duran scoring in the 20th minute. A snazzy one-two between Duran and Rogers did the trick, leaving Guardiola fuming. Duran was a live wire and this was a fitting finish for all that effort.

What was even more concerning for City was that Villa kept them away till almost half-time and it was Foden who stepped up to score a minute into the extra time! Half-time score: Manchester City 2-1 Aston Villa.

It was a special Foden free-kick that did the trick with the ball curling in, with goalie Olsen barely moving at all.

The half-time “Pep” talk would have restored the spirits even further as City started with a bang, attacking at will.

This time, both Foden and Rodri teamed up. The massive Rodri jinked past players on the edge of the box and laid the ball off for Foden to delicately ease it into the goal with his left foot.

The coup de grace was also coming as City pressed relentlessly on. Foden, who had just picked himself up from the ground in the D where he found himself during a melee, and discovered the ball coming to him. He simply tapped it into the top corner past. Phil Foden just got his hat-trick.

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