- Foden Hat-Trick Powers Manchester City Past AEK And Eases Haaland Dependence
Phil Foden delivered his clearest evidence yet of a return to form as Manchester City swept aside AEK Athens 5–1 at the Etihad Stadium, securing their second Champions League victory of the campaign and demonstrating that their attack can flourish without Erling Haaland.
Foden scored three times, while Elliot Anderson and Rayan Cherki added the other goals in a performance that combined patient control with ruthless finishing. Stavros Pilios briefly gave the Greek visitors hope early in the second half, but City responded within five minutes and finished the contest emphatically.
The victory was City’s 10th in 12 matches across all competitions this season, with only Barcelona registering more wins among clubs in Europe’s five leading leagues over the same period. It also offered manager Enzo Maresca reassurance that his squad possesses sufficient attacking variety to manage games when Haaland is unavailable or rested.
The Norwegian striker was named among the substitutes but did not enter the match. Seventeen-year-old Floyd Samba was instead trusted to lead the line, one of several changes made by Maresca following City’s demanding European encounter with Paris Saint-Germain.
What followed was less a gamble than a demonstration of depth. City did not require their leading striker to dominate territory, create chances or punish defensive mistakes. Their midfielders and wide attackers shared the responsibility, repeatedly finding spaces around an AEK structure that struggled to contain movement between the lines.
Anderson opened the scoring after 12 minutes, reacting intelligently when Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick was not cleared and directing the rebound beyond goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli. It was his first goal for City and rewarded the hosts for an assertive opening.
Allan struck the crossbar midway through the half before Foden doubled the advantage in the 34th minute. The England international combined sharply with Rico Lewis and finished at close range, giving City a comfortable interval lead after they had directed 10 attempts towards the visitors’ goal.
AEK’s first shot on target brought an unexpected reward seven minutes after the restart. Pilios found space and drove his effort across Gianluigi Donnarumma, reducing the deficit and briefly introducing uncertainty into a match City had controlled.
The response revealed as much about City as their dominance. Rather than allowing the concession to alter the game’s rhythm, they restored their two-goal advantage five minutes later when Cherki found the bottom corner.
That goal deprived AEK of the opportunity to build pressure and opened the way for Foden to take command. Lewis provided his second assist of the evening in the 65th minute, setting up Foden to guide an accomplished finish into the top corner.
Ryan McAidoo then created the fifth goal after 76 minutes, leaving Foden with a simple finish to complete his hat-trick. It was the academy graduate’s first three-goal performance since April 2024 and carried significance beyond the scoreline.
Foden had endured a 10-month wait for a goal before scoring against Ipswich in City’s previous match. Four goals across consecutive appearances now suggest that confidence, timing and attacking instinct are beginning to return together.
That recovery could materially reshape City’s season. At his best, Foden gives the team something different from Haaland’s direct penalty-area threat. He can receive between midfield and defence, combine in tight spaces, arrive late around the box and finish from several angles.
His movement also makes City more difficult to prepare for. Opponents may organise their defensive line around denying Haaland service, but Foden’s ability to drift across positions forces midfielders and defenders to make constant decisions about whether to follow him.
Maresca has nevertheless avoided declaring the revival complete. The City manager described Foden as one of England’s finest players but acknowledged that his performances over the previous two years had not reached the required standard.
“We are trying to help him because we are sure he’s going to help us,” Maresca said after the match. His judgment was supported by a display in which Foden combined efficiency with increasing authority.
Foden was similarly cautious, saying he still had “a long way” to travel before reaching his best. That self-assessment may be useful. One outstanding evening cannot erase a prolonged loss of form, but the quality and variety of his three finishes provide a more meaningful signal than a fortunate goal might have done.
The performance also reflected positively on Maresca’s rotation. Players who had received fewer minutes entered the side without weakening its collective structure. City pressed effectively, circulated possession with purpose and continued creating opportunities despite the absence of their most prolific forward.
For AEK, the result exposed the unforgiving standard of Champions League competition. Marko Nikolic’s side attempted to play rather than merely defend, but their ambition left spaces City exploited decisively.
Nikolic admitted his players may have shown their opponents too much respect and accepted that City’s quality in the final third proved decisive. AEK were competing in the Champions League group phase for only the second time in 20 years, making the difference in experience and execution stark.
Yet the visitors’ goal showed that City were not flawless. Sloppy passing and occasional defensive vulnerability remain areas stronger opponents could punish more severely. Foden himself acknowledged that the football was not always attractive, even if City remained committed to their plan.
The broader message, however, was unmistakable. City are gathering momentum, their supporting attackers are contributing, and Maresca can rotate without surrendering control. Most importantly, Foden is again deciding matches rather than merely participating in them.
Haaland will remain central to City’s ambitions, particularly against elite opposition where chances are scarcer. But successful European campaigns require alternatives when injuries, fatigue or tactical circumstances remove the obvious route to goal.
Against AEK, City showed those alternatives are developing. Anderson supplied the breakthrough, Cherki stopped a potential revival, Lewis created repeatedly and Foden provided the finishing authority.
The scoreline will be remembered as another European victory at the Etihad. Its deeper significance may lie in the re-emergence of a player whose best football can make an already formidable attack substantially less predictable.
