Foden hat-trick further tightens Premier League title race

Sports Desk, Feb 6 (EFE)- Phil Foden hit his second career hat-trick to bring Manchester City within breathing space of leaders Liverpool with a 1-3 win at Brentford in the English Premier League on Monday.

It was the fourth successive away game for City in which they had to rally from behind to take full points, which kept them firmly on track for their record fourth successive title.

The win, however, did not come very easily for Pep Guardiola’s side, as Brentford’s goalkeeper Mark Flekken stood like a wall before the City’s forward line to make a season-record 12 saves.

But Foden somehow managed to find a gap to sneak in and knock down the Dutchman’s wall to score three goals, his second hat-trick since his treble against Manchester United in October 2022 in a 6-3 win.

Flekken saved City’s first nine shots on Monday in West London, including a one-to-one move by Erling Haaland and a couple of shots by Julián Alvarez and Kevin de Bruyne from outside the area.

Brentford took advantage of Flekken’s goalkeeping prowess, which kept City frustrated, as Neal Maupay stroked the home side ahead midway through the first half against the run of play.

Foden grabbed the equalizer on the stroke of half-time before he connected with a de Bruyne cross to head the champions into the lead early in the second half at the Gtech Community Stadium.

He raced through the middle and made a cool finish in the 70th minute to complete his treble and seal the win.

“We knew the threat they had and they’re a fantastic team,” he said after the match.

“We had to keep going and react and I think we did that really well. We controlled the full game. I’m delighted with the outcome of the game,” said Foden.

“They closed the spaces but we stayed patient and controlled the game which is the main thing, we created a lot of chances too, which was nice to see,” added the midfielder.

The comeback win helped City topple Arsenal in second place with 49 points, just two points shy of Liverpool with one game in hand. EFE

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