Manchester City secured a vital three points in their pursuit of a fourth successive Premier League title, as Phil Foden’s superb hat-trick inspired them to an emphatic 4-1 victory over top-four hopefuls Aston Villa. Having failed to score at home for the first time since March 2022 last time out against Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s men came flying out the blocks in the early stages and their positive approach was rewarded with a breakthrough inside 10 minutes. Jérémy Doku was the architect of the goal, racing clear down the right flank before laying an inch-perfect ball into the path of Rodri, who lashed home into the roof of the net for his eighth goal of the season.Undeterred by the hosts’ dominant start, Unai Emery’s men found a leveller against the run of play in the 20th minute, as Jhon Durán played a neat one-two with Morgan Rogers before expertly finding the far corner with a low finish. That did little to stem the momentum though, with City coming close through Julián Álvarez, who saw a close-range strike thwarted by Robin Olsen. Not to be denied, the hosts deservedly restored their lead on the stroke of halftime, when Foden’s free-kick flew through a gap in the Villa wall and beyond a stranded Olsen.Determined to find a route back into the contest, the visitors showed signs of life after the restart, with Douglas Luiz and Clément Lenglet both denied by Stefan Ortega in quick succession. Those missed opportunities proved to be costly for Villa, as Foden picked his spot from the edge of the box and swept a brilliant finish into the bottom corner after good work from Rodri. There was no stopping Foden, with the influential midfielder completing his hat-trick just eight minutes later, firing an unstoppable strike into the top corner for his 20th goal of the campaign.Armed with a commanding three-goal advantage, City unsurprisingly took their foot off the gas with time ticking into the final quarter-hour, easing through the closing stages to wrap up a ninth straight head-to-head home victory over the Villans. As for Emery’s side, they’ll be desperate to bounce back against Brentford on Saturday to keep their hopes of a top-four finish alive.ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 31TuesdayNewcastle – Everton 1-1 (1-0)/Isak 15 – Calvert-Lewin 88 pen/Nott. Forest – Fulham 3-1 (3-0)/Hudson-Odoi 9, Wood 19, Gibbs-White 45+3 – Adarabioyo 49/Burnley – Wolverhampton 1-1 (1-1)/Larsen 37 – Nouri 45+3/Bournemouth – Crystal Palace 1-0 (0-0)/Kluivert 79/West Ham – Tottenham 1-1 (1-1)/Zouma 19 – Johnson 5/WednesdayBrentford – Brighton 0-0Arsenal – Luton 2-0 (2-0)/Odegaard 24, Hoshioka 44 og/Man.City – Aston Villa 4-1 (2-1)/Rodri 11, Foden 46, 62, 70 – Duran 22/Thursday21:30: (1.10) Liverpool (11.0) Sheffield Utd (18.0)22:15: (2.10) Chelsea (3.70) Man.Utd. (3.60)***odds are subject to change***
