The sight of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland among the Manchester City substitutions may have offered Aston Villa a glimmer of hope, but it is another double-act that's increasingly putting its stamp on this campaign for Pep Guardiola’s team.
Where there’s Rodri and Phil Foden, there’s usually a way. And so it proved again here.
City may be marginally behind in the Premier League title race but they surely have the two most in-form players in the league. Unai Emery’s side were the last team to defeat City in any competition, a 1-0 loss at Villa Park in the Premier League in December, but could not live with the duo on this occasion.
Rodri opened the scoring for City and provided a further assist to ensure his unbeaten run of games for City stretches to 64 matches in all competitions, but it was Foden who truly stole the show. The 23-year-old was in imperious form as he netted his second hat-trick of the season to take his tally to 21 goals.
This was just the latest in a growing list of inspirational performances from the England international. This is quickly becoming his season and again he prospered having been stationed centrally, which is his preferred position. England simply have to ensure that they get the best out of him at the European Championship this summer.
City had to win this game — it was to be their first triumph of the season against a club in the top five of the league standings — and keep on the coattails of Liverpool and Arsenal, against whom they drew on Sunday.
Guardiola had made it clear that his team could not afford to drop any more points — even if the benching of Haaland and De Bruyne suggested tougher assignments are on the horizon.
Villa were without their main goalscorer, Ollie Watkins, due to injury and also lost their goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, to illness ahead of the game. Would they have made a difference to the result? Probably not.
Even though the visitors scored a surprising equaliser through Jhon Duran following a neat counter midway through the first half, they never looked like securing their first league double over City since the 1962-63 campaign.
Story of the game
Villa’s back-up goalkeeper was certainly in the firing line from the off. Julian Alvarez flashed a shot into the side-netting to demonstrate City’s intent and that the home team broke the deadlock after 11 minutes came as no surprise.
Naturally, Foden was involved and sped up the move. His pass released Jeremy Doku on the overlap down the right and a low cross from the byline was met perfectly by Rodri to smash home his eighth goal of the season.
Villa didn’t see much of the ball but looked comfortable when they did have possession. None more so than when they equalised in the 20th minute. Nicolo Zaniolo, Morgan Rogers and Duran led the counter and a neat give-and-go between Rogers and Duran sent the Villa striker through on goal. His finish across Stefan Ortega nestled into the far corner.
City were unbowed. Jack Grealish, continually jeered by the travelling supporters who once adored him, and Alvarez both went close with Olsen getting a fingertip and a right boot in the way respectively.
A second goal did arrive in first-half stoppage time when the already-booked Douglas Luiz fouled Foden 20 yards out from goal. Zaniolo and Ezri Konsa proved useless in the Villa wall as Foden’s curled free-kick travelled straight between the pair and past Olsen. How Guardiola would love to see City’s title rivals part in such a fashion.
It was a soft concession by Villa, and they could have been further behind either side of half-time with Alvarez stretching to reach a header that Olsen had to tip over the crossbar. Martinez’s deputy also beat away Doku’s effort and then blocked Bernardo Silva’s shot after another fine pass by Foden.
Villa did remind of their threat with another swift counter. Luiz was denied by Ortega and a Clement Lenglet header at the near post from the subsequent corner was also saved by the German. Yet, Foden put the game beyond Emery’s men shortly after the hour mark.
Foden’s second was made by Rodri. The midfielder slalomed towards the edge of the Villa area, dummied around Moussa Diaby and then played a one-two with himself before laying the ball off to his team-mate. An assured finish was swept in off the far post.
Then came the hat-trick goal. Foden was down appealing for a free-kick in one instant and then up receiving Alvarez’s pass the next. He cut in on his left foot and fired a shot into the top corner. It was some way to cap off a fine display and an important win.
Player of the game: Phil Foden
Was this Foden's best display in what is proving to be his best season in a City shirt so far? It could well have been.
Villa remained in this contest for as long as Foden allowed them to be. If his first goal was a little fortunate, then his sweeping finish for his second and a third fired into the top corner capped the latest impressive performance from the 23-year-old.
