Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Man City: Phil Foden scores to give City their first Champions League win of the season

Phil Foden looked back at his best as he started with a goal and an assist for only the second time this season as Man City won 4-0 at Slovan Bratislava.

The England midfielder made it 2-0 within 15 minutes with a typically composed finish and City secured their biggest win of the season, securing their first three points in the revamped Champions League group stage.

Foden had to be patient in his return to club football after Euro 2024 as a virus slowed his preparations for the season, but he was back to top form in the Slovak capital and James McAtee also set up his side's fourth goal with a delicate shot before.

Ilkay Gündogan had already given the visitors the lead before Foden's early strike when his deflected shot wrong-footed Dominik Takac, while Erling Haaland scored his own goal after half-time after grabbing a ball from behind.

This means the Norwegian has 42 Champions League goals at the age of just 24 and is one place behind Alessandro Del Piero and Neymar in the competition's all-time rankings.

Analysis: Almost flawless evening for Guardiola

Ron Walker from Sky Sports:

“It couldn’t have been much easier for Man City on their first visit to Slovakia, where their biggest win of the season clearly understated their dominance.”

“What can Pep Guardiola learn from a game like this? Not much – he’s seen it all before, although Phil Foden’s performance will be his biggest encouragement.”

“Foden was tasked from the start with the task of showing he was ready to return to normal play and he left Guardiola in little doubt with a goal and an assist.”

“It will also have been a bit of a reprieve from some of the nerves at the start of the season; City had either not won or narrowly escaped in each of their last five games before this failure in Bratislava.”

“It sets things up perfectly for the visit of Fulham on Saturday.”

Foden: Nice to be back after a slow start to the season

Man City midfielder Phil Foden To TNT Sports:

“I had more chances to score, on another night there could have been more – but we are happy with the 4-0 win. It was a slow start to the season for me, so it was nice to get back out there and score.

“I’m fine now, I’m back. It was a slow start to the season, but now I’m starting again.”

Pep: Foden is still not at his best

Man City manager Pep Guardiola To TNT Sports:

“We said at half-time that we needed one more goal and at 3-0 it was almost over. They started a little bolder, with four defenders, but after we took the lead 2-0, like many other teams, they held back.

“Ilkay (Gundogan)'s game at Newcastle wasn't really good, maybe one of the worst I've ever seen from him, but in his position as a midfielder he's really intelligent and played a fantastic game today.”

“Phil Foden is still not at his best, he scored a really good goal – passing the ball to the post, not shooting. He had more chances, but he’s on his way back.”