Foden's hat-trick fires City past AEK Athens but midfielder warns he is still far from his best

Phil Foden scored his first hat-trick of the season as Manchester City swept aside AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, yet the England midfielder was quick to temper expectations, insisting he remains some distance from his peak.

The goals — Foden’s first since December — arrived just days after he netted against Ipswich on his return from a suspension earned by his red card in last month’s Manchester derby. The back-to-back contributions mark a notable upturn for a player who has endured two years of inconsistent form and fitness problems, a run that ultimately cost him a place in England’s World Cup squad.

“Obviously I’m delighted to score goals now,” Foden told reporters after the match. “It can only do good for the confidence. I’ve still got a long way to go but I’m going in the right direction and scoring along the way definitely helps. I just want to keep working hard and trying to do my best for the manager and for the team.”

City made eight changes from the weekend fixture, yet the rotated side showed no signs of fatigue. Elliot Anderson opened the scoring with his first goal for the club before Foden added his opener and then set up Rayan Cherki for a fine third. Having started on the right flank, Foden shifted to a false nine role and registered two further goals late in the game.

Erling Haaland, the club’s top scorer, was kept on the bench throughout while managing a sore foot.

The result steadied City’s Champions League campaign after a defeat to Paris St Germain, and arrived in a noticeably calmer atmosphere following a turbulent run of fixtures against Liverpool, PSG and Ipswich in the wake of the club’s damning guilty verdict in their financial charges case.

“We spoke about bouncing back from PSG because the games can pass you by quickly and you can end up in a difficult situation,” Foden said. “It’s important to keep putting points on the board and we’ve done that. The lads were great again. We showed determination again. I think we just got better and better towards the end of the game and the talent shone through in the end.”