Man City 5-1 AEK Athens: Foden scores hat-trick as City respond to PSG defeat with hammering of AEK Athens

City bounced back from last week’s defeat to PSG with a comfortable win over AEK Athens at the Etihad. 

A hat-trick from Phil Foden along with goals from Cherki and Anderson earned City all three points in their third Champions League game of the season. 

AEK Athens gave the home side a slight scare in the second half with a well taken goal from Pilios but couldn’t mount a comeback against a side that have only lost one game all season. 

City started the stronger side and opened the scoring just after the tenth minute as Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick hit the bar before falling ever so kindly to Eliiot Anderson to score his first ever Manchester City goal and I don't think he’ll ever get an easier one. 

The home side continued their assault on the AEK Athens goal and almost doubled their lead midway through the first half as Allan picked up the ball on the left before driving into the box and thundering a shot off the bar as he looked for a second goal in a City shirt. 

As Cities strangle hold on the game became stronger they doubled the lead ten minutes before half-time as Foden played Rico Lewis in down the right before receiving the ball back and firing into the roof of the net to make it two goals in two games following his red card at Old Trafford last month.

Some magical flicks from Enzo Fernandez and Rayan Cherki almost led to a third before half-time but the Frenchman’s effort was well saved by Brignoli to ensure that AEK Athens had a sliver of hope heading into the second half. 

The Greek side did look dangerous on the counter-attack before the first goal but that threat was quickly nullified by City who looked comfortable after and would have been confident to score a few more in the second half. 

However it was the Greek champions to strike first early in the second half on a counte-attack as some brilliant work from second half substitute Zine on the left gave Stavros Pilios acres of space in the box to fire the ball into the bottom corner and get AEK Athens right back in the game. 

It took just five minutes however for City to reestablish their two-goal lead as Allan’s cross missed everyone before falling to Foden at the back-post who played the ball back to Cherki who’s fake-shot had Arriaga sliding into the distance before the Frenchman fired past Brignoli to make it 3-1. 

Maresca’s men were strutting their stuff in the second half and soon added a fourth as Cherki launched a brilliant diagonal pass to Rico Lewis who had a made a ran into the box with the City defender laying the ball back to Foden who side-footed the ball right into the top corner to seal all three points for City midway through the second half.

Phil Foden would soon get his hat-trick as Rico Lewis played Ryan McAidoo in down the right-hand-side who squared the ball to the former PFA Player of the year who stormed in and scored his first ever Champions League hat-trick for City. 

A perfect night for City who made it two wins from three games in the Champions League along with giving confidence to the likes of Foden, Cherki, Allan and Rico Lewis who were the standout performers on the night.