Foden hits hat-trick as Man City fight back to beat Brentford 3-1

LONDON: Phil Foden scored a brilliantly composed hat-trick as Manchester City fought back to earn a 3-1 win at battling Brentford on Monday (Feb 5) and close to within two points of Premier League leaders Liverpool with a game in hand.

Despite almost constant City pressure, Brentford led with a Neal Maupay goal after 21 minutes only for Foden to level just before halftime then add two more excellent goals as the visitors took control with another display of possession and probing.

Liverpool, beaten by Arsenal on Sunday, lead the table on 51 points from 23 games but City are up to 49 from 22 and Arsenal on 49 from 23.

Remarkably Brentford did the double over City last season, beating them 1-0 in London in the last game in May when the title was already secure, having won 2-1 at the Etihad in November with two Ivan Toney goals.

Another win looked unlikely after the early exchanges on Monday as Julian Alvarez had two curling shots pushed wide by Mark Flekken, who then made an even better save to push clear a swerving long-range Kyle Walker shot that he saw late.

It was Brentford though who struck first, via a Sunday football goal, as Flekken launched a goal kick that Nathan Ake, under pressure from Toney, failed to touch. Maupay was left with a clear run on goal and calmly tucked the ball into the bottom corner after 21 minutes.

Maupay could not buy a goal while at Everton but has now scored five in the last five games in all competitions while on loan at Brentford.

Erling Haaland had a chance to equalise immediately but Flekken again came to the rescue with his feet, before saving yet again from Josko Gvardial.

Brentford then won a series of corners and the remarkable sight of putting nine men in the six-yard box with only one