Foden ends goal drought to open scoring as City edge Ipswich 3-2 in Premier League

Phil Foden ended a goal drought stretching back to December by opening the scoring as Manchester City beat Ipswich Town 3-2 in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium. The attacking midfielder converted Jeremy Doku’s cross before kissing the badge in front of the South Stand, a moment that visibly meant a great deal to him.

Foden had last found the net against Crystal Palace in December and arrived for the Ipswich fixture having also served a three-match suspension. Speaking after the final whistle, he was candid about the mental toll of the barren run.

“Definitely due one, I missed quite a few big chances this season,” Foden told Match of the Day. “It’s been eating me alive so good to score today, but the most important thing is to get three points and be in a good position in the league. Massive win.”

The goal had been predicted by manager Enzo Maresca in his pre-match press conference, and Foden was quick to credit the impact the head coach has made since returning to the Etihad.

“He’s settled in really well, the lads are buying into what he wants to do,” Foden said. “There’s a lot of things to improve still and today is a good example of that — we can do a lot better. Hopefully we can keep improving and keep getting strong.”

Foden was also generous in his assessment of an Ipswich side that made City work hard for all three points. “We have to give Ipswich a lot of respect — they played a brilliant game. Good on the ball, aggressive and made it difficult. It’s not always going to be pretty, it’s just about getting the result, and we did that today so I’m really happy.”

The match was City’s first home Premier League fixture since the verdict in the club’s long-running charges case was released. Inside the stadium, supporters displayed bananas as a show of solidarity with the club, and the Premier League anthem was loudly booed — a gesture that has become a regular feature at the Etihad in recent seasons.

On the atmosphere generated by the home crowd, Foden added: “You can tell they are behind us and they’re pushing us. Nice to play at home — you can hear how loud they are and they’re giving us that extra boost that we need.”