Foden hat-trick. Is he back to his best?

[Matte Jan]

Phil Foden was the star as Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 at the Etihad in the Champions League. City's official match report by Neil Leigh says Foden scored a hat trick, his fourth for the club, in a comfortable night for the Premier League leaders

Elliot Anderson opened the scoring after 12 minutes with his first City goal, following up after Enzo Fernandez's free kick came back off the woodwork. Foden added the second on 34 minutes, and although Stavros Pilios pulled one back for AEK on 52, City quickly took control again

Rayan Cherki scored on 57 minutes, and Foden completed his hat trick with goals on 65 and 76. City made eight changes from the weekend win over Ipswich, and 17 year old Floyd Samba was handed a start, which says a lot about the depth in the squad

It was City's 150th Champions League match, watched by 40,042 fans. They now have six points from three league phase games. Next up is a Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Saturday, followed by a visit to RB Leipzig on 4 November

Foden has had his ups and downs, including the red card in the Manchester derby, but nights like this show his class. Enzo Maresca's rotation worked perfectly too. City look strong on every front

Is Foden back to his best? And can City win the Champions League under Maresca?

City V Aek Athens Match Report 63928115www.mancity.com