Phil Foden delivered the sort of performance Manchester City needed most on Wednesday night, setting up both of the first-half goals in a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace as Pep Guardiola’s side kept the pressure on Arsenal and turned toward Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea.
Foden’s pass for the opener had the stadium talking almost immediately. He said he checked a few times before taking the ball and saw Ant Semenyo make a good movement, then decided the risk was worth taking. “It is one of those, sometimes it doesn't come off,” he said. “Sometimes a risk is worth taking and I am very delighted it came off and we scored from it. Buzzing to contribute to a goal and help the lads get three points which is the most important.”
The assist drew instant praise from the punditry box. Jamie Redknapp called it the “assist of the season,” while Micah Richards said, “This is why I love him,” adding: “The little backheel is sensational. I want him to do so well because he comes from the academy. It means more. To produce this from the academy, his vision and to execute that pass is mesmerising to me.”
The result mattered well beyond one bright moment from one player. City were trailing Arsenal by two points heading into the final week of the campaign after the win, and Guardiola had made six changes to his starting line-up with one eye on Saturday’s FA Cup final. That rotation included leaving out players such as Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku, but Foden was handed only his third start in City’s past 13 league games and his first league start since 4 March.
For Foden, the evening also ended a long wait in front of goal even if he did not score. He has now scored 10 times in 48 appearances for City this season, but his most recent goal before this match came on 14 December in the reverse fixture against Palace. He had gone 27 matches without scoring before Wednesday’s game, a spell he later described as part of the reality of playing in a squad full of elite options.
“I would say I had a good half season - the first half - and dropped off a bit then struggled to find my place in the team,” Foden said. “It happens when you have quality players around you and they are more at it than you, so I have had to wait and be patient, train as hard as I can and when you get your moment you have to take it.” The two assists were his first in a City game since December 2023 and the first time he had assisted two goals in the first half of a Premier League match.
City will now go into Saturday’s FA Cup final carrying both momentum and expectation. Guardiola’s changes showed how carefully he is balancing the run-in, but Foden’s display gave him something harder to manage: a reminder that the player who once struggled to find minutes can still decide the biggest nights.
