Match between Manchester City and Brentford, as Phil Foden’s outstanding performance leads City to a remarkable victory.
It felt like it was going to be a disappointing night, but after 20 minutes of city dominance, Neil Maupe pushed the host team forward in the first half.
However, Foden gave us a much-needed equalizer at half-time, before starting the second half at the Jetek Community Stadium to give us the lead.Their night was complete when they made a sprint in the middle and sent a good finish to secure three points, ensuring they would take the match ball home.
This was your second Premier League game in the past four where we fall down but returning to take three points.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s team has won all nine matches in all competitions so far.
We have 49 points in our 22 Premier League games and are trailing behind Liverpool, who are at the top with 51 points in 23 matches.
February started with more positive news, with Erling Haaland making his debut after nearly two months and Manuel Akanji returning to the bench.After a brief start from Brentford, we settled into our familiar rhythm, dominated possession, and spent most of the game in Brentford’s half.
In his debut after almost two months, Erling Haaland made his first contribution in the seventh minute when he met a classic Kevin De Bruyne cutback with a shot from his right foot, which was intended for Ethan Pinnock’s knees rather than the goal.
The next shot came in frustration immediately after, with Julian Alvarez hitting a shot at the top corner and forcing Mark Flekken into an excellent diving save.This turned into a personal duel between the two, with Alvarez testing the Dutch goalkeeper from range again a few minutes later, but Flekken managed to stretch his target to divert a low shot wide.
Kyle Walker unleashed a powerful strike shortly after, but Flekken was once again equal to it, this time diving to his right.
Despite all this, it was Brentford who took the lead after 20 minutes.
With the clever use of his body by Ivan Toney, a Flekken goal kick bypassed the entire City defense, sending Neal Maupay through on goal.
The French thieves retained his cool as he to beat Ederson was and shoot past the goal line.
City almost equalized moments after the restart when a misplaced pass from Vitaly Janelt sent Haaland through on goal, but our Norwegian’s finish was blocked by Flekken’s outstretched right leg.Flekken was undoubtedly the star of the first half, as City continuously peppered their shots on goal.In the 27th minute, Flekken was once again called into action, making a diving stop as Josko Gvardiol seized on a loose ball and fired a shot with his right foot from 20 yards out.
The home team gathered themselves, leveraging their renowned proficiency in set-piece situations to pose a threat for a second goal.
Nevertheless, City continued to press forward, with Phil Foden’s powerful shot proving difficult for Flekken to handle, and De Bruyne’s low curling effort forcing the goalkeeper into a low dive to his left. Finally, the equalizing goal came just seconds before halftime, and it was no more than what Pep Guardiola’s team deserved.
Pinnock made a mistake in trying to clear De Bruyne’s cross with his head, inadvertently chesting it down to Foden, who then beat the wrong-footed Flekken from about 10 yards out.In just seven minutes into the second half, the turnaround was complete as Kevin De Bruyne’s long passing prowess came into play from the left side.
The Belgian curled the ball directly onto Foden’s head, and our academy graduate watched it travel so far into the corner that Flekken, despite his desperate dive, couldn’t keep it out.
Brentford had a rare opportunity at that moment when Christian Norgaard struck from the edge of the box, but a brave Ruben Dias got in the way.
With only 20 minutes left, three points were sealed when Foden latched onto a delicate Haaland flick, outpaced his marker, and slid it under Flekken.After defeating Manchester United 6-3 last season, this marks our home star’s second career hat-trick.
While City never quite reached fourth place, Brentford never posed a threat to equalizing, and another successful night’s work was completed.Manager Pep Guardiola came the British global squad in an interview before of their have.
Catalan senior football in Foden’s only club coach, and he has seen how he has progressed from being a teenage player to a world-class player.So, when they say the biggest change they’ve seen in Foden this season is how he contributes to crucial goals and assists, you have to take it seriously.
This was another pivotal performance from our star academy graduate, who, without any rewards in the first 45 minutes, rallied the home team to a three-goal comeback with a determined finish.
After 14 goals & nine helpers, the child is on pace to have his best year yet on his very own.The goalkeeper for Brentford, Mark Flekken, made an impressive 10 saves in the first half all by himself.
He stood equal to everything thrown at him by Dutch international players like Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, and Josko Gvardiol.
Even as we fell behind, there was no sense of panic towards our city.
We quickly got back into our usual rhythm in the regular game, created opportunities all over the pitch, and eventually earned the reward of a draw. Early in the subsequent two, we took victory.
In the Premier League, being brave, committed, and professional in tough tasks doesn’t always mean physically battling with opponents. This all comes back staying relying on in what we do.
The reality that we’ve lost in our final four Premier League games and lost each of them suggests that our squad has been so successful.It’s been exactly a year since Rodrigo last lost a Premier League game.
The Spaniard has played 35 times since the defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on February 5, 2023, and has remained unbeaten during that period.It is hard to exaggerate Guardiola’s role in his team, no matter the things he steers players to carry out. The impact of his number 16 is always significant.”They are so tough; they’re an incredible team. We can only imagine how challenging it will be in a few weeks when we return to the Etihad for our game.
“I think we deserve it, but we were fortunate to score near half-time. But I think we put in our best performance against them because we are here, in terms of shots, in terms of staying present, and finishing with quality inside. Phil’s vision, Kevin’s foresight, and ultimately, we were able to execute it.”
“We know what quality they possess.
“Toni is one of the best in aerial duels, and last year, they caused us problems. Everybody thought that they posed a danger and he’re a wonderful group.
“We needed to push forward and respond, and I think we did well. We controlled the entire game.I’m happy about the results.””I’m lovely happy about my performance right now. I’m playing more minutes now and getting more involved in the game.
“This might be the best form I’ve seen in a City shirt for a long time.It will persist over a long time, while I’ll continue working tough on the practice field and trying to grow.””City is two points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, with one game in hand.
We’ve collected 49 points from our 22 matches, while Jurgen Klopp’s club has 51 points from 23 games.. We’re level on points with Arsenal, who have played 23 games.”
City welcomes relegation-threatened Everton to the Etihad Stadium for a 12:30 kick-off on Saturday, February 10th.
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