Hat-trick hero Foden leads Man City comeback against Brentford

Manchester City produced a terrific second-half performance to come from behind and beat Brentford 3-1 on Monday night. The match saw Phil Foden grab his first English Premier League hat-trick to help City close the gap on league leaders Liverpool.

The home side Brentford started strong, defending well to frustrate City in the first half. Goalkeeper Mark Flekken made an incredible nine saves to deny the likes of Julián Álvarez and Erling Haaland. Against the run of play, Neal Maupay slotted home to give Brentford a surprise lead right on the stroke of halftime after latching onto a long ball from Flekken.

There were concerns for City as the first half neared its end, but they turned it around quickly. First, Foden prodded in an equaliser in added time at the end of the first period after a poor clearance from Brentford’s Ethan Pinnock. Then early in the second half, Foden rose highest to head in a Kevin De Bruyne cross, putting City ahead for the first time.

Brentford tried to fight back, with efforts from Mads Roerslev and Ivan Toney, but Foden sealed his hat trick in the closing stages. He collected a layoff from Erling Haaland before driving into the box and firing in his eighth league goal of the 2024 campaign.

The win, City’s ninth in a row across all competitions, moves them up to second place ahead of Arsenal and just two points behind Liverpool with a game in hand over both teams. Brentford remain hovering just above the relegation places in 15th after a seventh loss in eight matches.