Phil Foden hits flawless free kick for Man City as midfielder breaks personal record

• Phil Foden was on target for Manchester City against Aston Villa
• The England midfielder gave his side the lead at the stroke of half time
• His goal ensured he set a new personal record in terms of his goals haul

Manchester City have a gem in Phil Foden.

The 21-year-old continued to show Pep Guardiola why he is undroppable in the squad as he scored a sublime free kick to give his team the lead against Aston Villa.

City welcomed the Villains to the Etihad at the back of a drab 0-0 draw against Arsenal in a result that saw them fall two points behind league leaders Liverpool.

One major change Guardiola made for the game was starting his top scorer Erling Haaland on the bench, instead going with Julian Alvarez.

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It proved to be a case of ‘No Haaland, no problem’ for the defending champions, who took the lead in the 11th minute through Rodri, who timed his run to perfection to finish off a cross by Jeremy Doku.

Unai Emery’s side bit back six minutes later, just when it looked like City were taking control of proceedings as Jhon Duran slotted the ball into the far corner after some sleek passing from his team on the counter attack.

Foden’s free kick and personal milestone

There was still time for more drama in the first half as City got a free kick at the edge of the area. Up-stepped Foden who took advantage of a gap in the opposition wall to creep a fierce shot past Robin Olsen.

That goal had some personal significance for Foden on a personal level as it was his first from a direct free kick in Manchester City colours.

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The academy graduate now has 81 goals for City across all competitions, according to Opta, and the sublime free kick was his 12th Premier League goal this season.

Despite enjoying success with his club in previous seasons, this is Foden’s most prolific goal-scoring season in the English top tier.

Foden and Man City run riot

In the second half, Foden continued his impressive form in the game, grabbing his second goal in the 62nd minute, firing in a low shot past Robin Olsen.

He sealed his hat trick in style with another fine goal from the edge of the area, as reported by BBC.

City could have easily added a fifth in stoppage time, but Sergio Gomez could only see his shot hit the outside of the post after a Josko Gvardiol cutback.

The win took City to 67 points, level with Liverpool, who play Sheffield United on Thursday, April 4.

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Arsenal are currently top of the pile, at least temporarily, after their 2-0 win over Luton Town.

Phil Foden joins Ronaldo in record books

Sports Brief also reported on the elite group of players Phil Foden joined after his hat trick against Aston Villa.

Foden now joins an elite group of players who have achieved 20+ goals and 10+ assists while playing in Europe's top five leagues.

He now shares the same number of Premier League hat-tricks as legends like Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Didier Drogba.