Manchester City Dominates AEK Athens 5-1 in UEFA Champions League

Manchester City returned to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, securing a comprehensive 5-1 victory over AEK Athens at the Etihad Stadium during the third matchday of the league phase. Despite making eight changes to his starting lineup amid a congested fixture list, manager Enzo Maresca watched his rotated squad deliver a dominant performance to rebound from a domestic defeat against Paris.

The hosts wasted little time taking control of the match in front of 40,042 spectators. Following early pressure sparked by 17-year-old debutant Floyd Samba, Enzo Fernández struck a powerful, dipping free-kick off the crossbar in the 12th minute. Midfielder Elliot Anderson reacted quickest to the rebound, sliding the ball home to net his first official goal for the club and establish an early lead.

Manchester City doubled their advantage shortly after the half-hour mark. Following a sharp one-two combination with Rico Lewis, Phil Foden gathered possession inside the penalty area and fired a precise shot past the goalkeeper. Although the Greek visitors briefly threatened after halftime when Stavros Pilios capitalized on a swift counterattack to make it 2-1 in the 52nd minute, the English side swiftly restored order.

Rayan Cherki extinguished any hopes of an AEK Athens comeback just five minutes later with a brilliant individual effort. The French international received a pass from Foden at the edge of the box, executed a clever dummy with his standing foot, and calmly slotted his shot past the defense. Cherki then turned creator, delivering a superb crossfield pass to Lewis, who teed up Foden for his second goal of the evening in the 65th minute.

Foden completed his memorable hat trick in the 76th minute by converting a dangerous delivery from substitute Ryan McAidoo. The stellar performance elevated Foden to fourth place on Manchester City's all-time European goalscoring list with 23 goals in the competition, while also making him only the third English player to record a hat trick and an assist in the same Champions League match, following Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling.

Manager Enzo Maresca praised Foden's quality and resilience following the final whistle. "I know how good he is and we are simply trying to help him, because I am sure he will help us," Maresca stated, acknowledging that the playmaker had experienced difficulties over the past two seasons. Teammate Kyle Walker further lauded the midfielder's abilities, describing him on talkSPORT as the most technically gifted player he has ever played with.

With this dominant result, Manchester City climbs to sixth place in the league phase standings, accumulating six points from three matches. The team will now shift its focus back to domestic competition, preparing for a Premier League away trip to face Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.