timeThe way Phil Foden dismantled Brentford was chilling. All the Manchester City forward has to do is not a series of flicks and tricks but to think faster than his opponents, evade his markers with brilliant off-the-ball movement and show zero uncertainty in front of goal every time.
Brentford cannot cope with these small fluctuations. While some strikers stand still and make life easy for defenders, Foden never stops. He doesn’t appreciate his passes and doesn’t do anything to show off. Nothing is wasted and nothing is boring. Other young forwards should take note. Foden is always on the move, always looking for space, and Brentford don’t know how to contain him.
On another night, Ethan Pinnock would not have been punished so devastatingly when he made the mistake of trying to clear Kevin De Bruyne’s cross just before half-time. Foden is wary, though. Was Pinnock in the right place when his header dropped from the sky? Probably not. More likely, it’s a sign of his intelligence. Foden is ready. There was no one around him when he drew City level on the stroke of half-time, notable for Neal Maupay’s opportunistic No. 1 goal and some heroic saves from Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flecken.
It was not an easy 45 minutes for the championship team. At times they were in danger of falling into Maupay’s universe, a strange, disorienting world where a very annoying striker argued with everyone and spent a lot of time obsessing over the correct positioning of opposition free-kicks.
All was not well for a while. Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Josco Gvaldiol and De Bruyne all failed to beat Flecken when the Brentford goalkeeper stepped forward and kicked the ball past the goalkeeper. City were trailing when the ball came in, when Ivan Toney received a phantom assist, his presence just enough to stop Nathan Ake and make space for Maupay to fire a low shot past Ederson.
The city could collapse at that stage. They lost twice to Brentford last season and almost went 2-0 down when Sergio Reguilón crossed to the far post. Ederson reacted brilliantly and stopped the ball from invading. This is a critical moment.
Foden was quick to express his opinion. His game is maturing: sharper, more decisive, more determined to decide the game. He has scored 15 goals for club and country this season. He scored 16 points last year.
The challenge is to keep pushing the boundaries. Foden is hardly a bit player at Manchester City. He contributed important goals and played in many important games. However, Foden was not a regular starter as City pushed towards a treble last season. He was on the bench for City’s FA Cup final against Manchester United and Champions League final against Inter Milan, although he made a positive impact in the latter after replacing the injured De Bruyne in the first half.
Foden hopes that changes. Against Brentford, he was nominally deployed on the left, but in practice he was free to move around. There is no fixed point. Manchester City’s traditional wide players Jack Grealish, Oscar Bobb and Jeremy Doku were on the bench. Guardiola opted for interchangeable creators, with De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Alvarez and Foden taking turns moving out wide behind Haaland.
It becomes overwhelming. Pinnock paid the price for his loss of focus and City scored again shortly after half-time. De Bruyne did the damage again, crossing from the left and Foden’s run was undetected. Alone in the penalty area, his movement untracked, he was free to play a sliding header past Flecken.
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Although Brentford fought hard and had several chances to equalize, there was no way back. Manchester City always have the ability to improve their level. The fatal shot is a perfect example. Brentford must have thought they were safe. They are in great shape. They have players coming back. They are very disciplined defensively.
quick guide
Foden’s goal sets Premier League weekend scoring record
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Phil Foden’s hat-trick earned City a vital comeback victory at Brentford and also took the weekend’s total in 10 top-flight games to 45, the most since the Premier League began in 1995 A new record since reaching 20 teams.
The previous high was 44 goals, reached twice in 2021 and 2023, surpassing the 43 goals in February 2011. The highest total number of goals scored in the Premier League era is 53, with 22 goals recorded on the final weekend of the 1992-93 season. team.
45 goals (February 3-5, 2024)
Everton 2-2 Tottenham, Brighton 4-1 Crystal Palace, Burnley 2-2 Fulham, Newcastle 4-4 Luton, Sheffield United 0-5 Aston Villa; Bournemouth 1-1 Nottingham Forest, Chelsea 2-4 Wolves, Manchester United 3-0 West Ham United, Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool; Brentford 1-3 Manchester City.
44 goals (April 29 to May 2, 2023)
Brighton 6-0 Wolves, Brentford 2-1 Nottingham Forest, C Palace 4-3 West Ham United; Bournemouth 4-1 Leeds United, Fulham 1-2 Manchester City, Manchester United 1-0 Aston Villa, Newcastle 3-1 Southampton, Liverpool 4-3 Tottenham; Leicester City 2-2 Everton; Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea.
44 goals (September 19-21, 2021)
Everton 5-2 West Brom, Leeds United 4-3 Fulham, Manchester United 1-3 Crystal Palace, Arsenal 2-1 West Ham; Southampton 2-5 Tottenham, Newcastle 0-3 Brighton, Chelsea 0 -2 Liverpool, Leicester City 4-2 Burnley;
Aston Villa 1-0 Sheffield United; Wolves 1-3 Manchester City.
43 goals (February 5-6, 2011)
Aston Villa 2-2 Fulham, Everton 5-3 Blackpool, Manchester City 3-0 West Brom, Newcastle 4-4 Arsenal, Stoke City 3-2 Sunderland, Tottenham 2- 1 Bolton, Wigan 4-3 Blackburn, Wolves 2-1 Manchester United; Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool; West Ham United 0-1 Birmingham.
53 goals (May 8-9, 1993)
Arsenal 3-0 Crystal Palace, Blackburn 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry 3-3 Leeds, Ipswich 2-1 Nottingham Forest, Liverpool 6-2 Tottenham, Manchester City 2-5 Everton, Middlesbrough 3-3 Norwich City, Oldham 4-3 Southampton, Sheffield United 4-2 Chelsea; QPR 2-1 Aston Villa, Wimbledon 1-2 Manchester United.
But Foden will create a masterclass in how to break down low. He faked receiving a pass from Rodri and immediately set off, sprinting forward and causing damage despite the ball being elsewhere. This is how to make scoring goals look easy. Brentford could see what was happening, but it was too late. Haaland passes the ball, a beautiful thumping pass, and Foden has enough time to take it in his stride, position himself and fire the ball past Flecken.
It was an unstoppable goal from a fearsome team. The scary thing for Arsenal and Liverpool is that Manchester City does not rely on Foden. If not him, then De Bruyne, Alvarez or Haaland. They have so many weapons, so many ways to win, and knowing he’s not under pressure to figure it all out on his own seems to be doing wonders for Foden’s development.
