Brentford vs Man City: Foden’s treble helps City beat Brentford

• Manchester City came from behind to beat Brentford 3-1 on Monday night at Brentford Community Stadium
• The Cytizens are currently second on the Premier League standings with 49 points, two behind leaders Liverpool

On Monday, Manchester City beat Brentford 3-1 during the Brentford vs Man City fixture in West London.

Brentford struck first through Neal Maupay in the 21st minute before Phil Foden equalized in first-half stoppage time. The Manchester City forward then scored two more goals in the second half to complete his hat-trick and help City win the match.

Brentford vs Man City. Photo/ Toronto Star.

Pep Guardiola’s side have now made it 12 consecutive Monday night Premier League fixtures unbeaten. This is traditionally the time of year when Manchester City hit top form and it’s no surprise that their presence has started to loom even larger over the Premier League title race.

The Cytizens are currently second on the Premier League standings with 49 points, two behind leaders Liverpool. They can go now top with victory over Everton at Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. City’s hopes of a fourth successive title now lay firmly in their own hands.

Brentford Vs Man City 

Brentford were the only Premier League team to beat Manchester City home and away last season, and they offered their usual mix of energy and defiance on Monday night.

City struggled to break the hosts solid defensive structure in the early stages of the match and opted for long range efforts. However, none bore fruits as Brentford shot-stopper Mark Flekken stood firm on post, making nine saves in the first half, which is more than any Premier League goalie this season.

Julian Alvarez, Kyle Walker, Erling Haaland, Josko Gvardiol, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were all denied in the early stages of the game by the flying Dutchman.

Brentford struck first, thanks to Neal Maupay’s calm finish in the 21st minutes after collecting a long goal-kick from Flekken. The City defence had anticipated Toney getting a touch which would have ruled Maupay offside, but it never came. It was the 27-year-old’s fifth goal in five consecutive games.

While Maupay gave the home fans a reason to celebrate, concern was growing in the City camp. The visitors had to wait until added time in the first half when a poor clearance by Ethan Pinnock gave them a golden opportunity that ended with Foden opening the scoring for the visitors.

Foden’s goal gave City the momentum they needed and they completed the comeback just eight minutes after the break. Once again, it was the City academy graduate who was just at the right place to head in Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.

Brentford went forward in attempt to equalize but weren’t lucky as Mads Roerslev effort lashed off target and Ivan Toney’s acrobatic strike cleared the crossbar.

While the hosts missed their chances, Manchester City increased their advantage to two, thanks to Foden’s 70th minute strike. This was the 23-year-old’s second hat-trick since scoring in the 6-3 victory over Manchester United back in October 2022.

Phil Foden celebrates after scoring against Brentford at the Brentford Community Stadium. Photo/ Sky Sports.

There was a an angry bust-up between Maupay and Walker in the last minutes of the Brentford vs Man City game, with Guardiola being forced to calm down the latter. Brentford are just three points from the relegation zone and despite the 3-1 loss to Manchester City, Thomas Frank believes his team played well.

“I think overall it was a good performance – especially in the first half but actually throughout the game. We defended very well and we limited them to shots outside the box except the chance to Haaland in that first half due to our own poor back pass. The boys defended so well but then make a minor mistake for 1-1. We talked a lot about closing down De Bruyne but then he made an unbelievably precise pass and they showed the quality for 2-1.” Sky Sports quoted Brentford manager Thomas Frank.