PHIL FODEN SCORES HAT-TRICK AGAINST AEK ATHENS

Phil Foden scored a hat-trick as Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. Elliot Anderson scored his first goal for City, and Rayan Cherki also found the net. Stavros Pilios scored AEK Athens’ goal early in the second half, cutting City’s lead to 2-1. Enzo Maresca made eight changes to the side that beat Ipswich at the weekend. Erling Haaland remained on the bench throughout the match.

Anderson opened the scoring after 12 minutes, following an Enzo Fernández free-kick that struck the bar. Foden doubled City’s lead in the 34th minute after exchanging passes with Rico Lewis and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Alberto Brignoli. Floyd Samba started in Haaland’s place; he had scored twice on his senior debut against Norwich in the Carabao Cup. Kervin Arriaga sent an early AEK Athens effort over the bar. The official attendance was listed as 40,042.

Foden’s goal against Ipswich on Saturday was his first since mid-December, and his hat-trick brought his first Champions League goals in nearly 12 months. He had also missed part of the season after a sending-off in the Manchester derby. “Slowly but surely,” Foden said of his return to form. “Still got a long way to go, but I am going in the right direction.” Foden said he enjoyed moving into a false nine role during Tuesday’s match.