Manchester City did more than beat AEK Athens FC. They controlled 60% of possession, put up 17 shots and left the Champions League tie looking comfortable long before the final whistle. Phil Foden was the standout, finishing with three goals and one assist in a 5-1 win that owed plenty to Rico Lewis as well.
Foden's hat-trick and Lewis's delivery
Foden scored in the 34th, 65th and 76th minutes, with Lewis supplying the first two assists for the earlier finishes. That pairing gave City the edge they needed after a slower start, and it also showed how much attacking value they got from full-back areas rather than waiting only on the forwards.
Foden's return of three goals in the competition now sits alongside a one-assist night that made the individual line look even stronger. Lewis, meanwhile, ended with two assists and a match rating of 8.58, which fits the eye test on a night when his passing repeatedly found the right run.
City's wider attacking control
The scoreline was not built on one burst. Rayan Cherki scored in the 57th minute to restore City's two-goal lead after AEK had briefly threatened to make it awkward, and the shots total points to a side that kept creating after the first breakthrough. The home crowd was barely more than half full, but the football itself was busy enough.
The only wrinkle is how to label the sideline role attached to the night. One report credited Enzo Maresca, while the wider fixture record carries its own inconsistency, so the safer reading is to leave the dugout debate alone and focus on the performance on the pitch. On that evidence, this was a sharp European outing from City, driven by Foden's finishing and Lewis's supply.
City now have a result that should travel well beyond the scoreline, and the next question is whether Foden can keep this European level going in their next Champions League fixture.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
