Man City thrash Ipswich as Phil Foden continues hot streak - 5 talking points

IPSWICH 0-6 MAN CITY: A Phil Foden brace arsenic good arsenic goals from Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and James McAtee saw the Premier League champions look backmost to their accustomed selves

The resurgent Phil Foden scored 2 goals and acceptable different 1 up arsenic Manchester City deed lowly Ipswich for six.

Foden's first-half brace sandwiched a superb onslaught from Mateo Kovacic, putting Pep Guardiola and Co. retired of scope by the break. Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and James McAtee past got connected the scoresheet, giving City the cleanable effect to Tuesday's calamitous 2-2 draw distant to Brentford.

It's a effect which means that City, who are present 4th successful the Premier League table, person won 4 of their past 5 games successful each competitions, unbeaten since Christmas. Ipswich, meanwhile, couldn't ascent retired of the bottommost 3 by pulling disconnected a daze result, arsenic Kieran McKenna and his players look a immense situation successful the 2nd fractional of the season.

Here are 5 talking points from Portman Road.

1. Chopping and changing line-ups

Having some enjoyed comfy wins the FA Cup, Ipswich and City's midweek matches brought them backmost down to Earth. That prompted some managers to marque a fig of important changes.

Kieran McKenna made 5 alterations to his starting line-up, including handing caller signing Ben Godfrey his Premier League debut for the Tractor Boys. Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, dropped goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and recalled Ederson, contempt claiming that the German had played good successful Tuesday's illness against Brentford.

Will Kieran McKenna support Ipswich successful the Premier League? Give america your prediction successful the comments section.

2. Ipswich neglect to instrumentality aboriginal chances

City may've been a shadiness of their selves lately but the four-in-a-row champions tin inactive punish you. Ipswich looked the brighter broadside successful the opening stages, with Liam Delap having a accidental successful the eighth minute.

His twisting and turning saw Ruben Dias perpetrate himself and spell to ground, arsenic Delap shaped up to shoot. Josko Gvardiol was successful the mode to marque a artifact but it wasn't the lone sniff astatine extremity which the hosts had earlier City broke the deadlock.

A well-worked free-kick saw Leif Davis propulsion the shot backmost to the borderline of the punishment area, wherever Omari Hutchinson was waiting. The erstwhile Arsenal and Chelsea imaginable unleashed a venomous onslaught which took a flimsy deflection disconnected Erling Haaland and went for a corner. Davis took it and that created different chance, though Dara O'Shea saw his header saved by Ederson.

3. Foden inspires 15-minute blitz

What a twelvemonth Phil Foden is having. No, not the play but 2025 itself. City's playmaker has rediscovered his signifier aft an underwhelming archetypal fractional of the run to people oregon assistance successful his past 4 matches successful each competitions.

First it was extremity astatine location to West Ham earlier assisting against Salford, and Foden notched some of City's extremity astatine Brentford. But the 24-year-old was connected different level astatine Portman Road, scoring the opening extremity aft helium was picked retired by Kevin De Bruyne.

Foden past acceptable up Mateo Kovacic to unleash a superb onslaught past the helpless Christian Walton 3 minutes aboriginal - and helium wasn't doesn't there. The England planetary combined with De Bruyne again successful the 42nd infinitesimal to people his 2nd of the lucifer and enactment the crippled to furniture earlier half-time.

Foden was denied the accidental of a hat-trick, however, arsenic Jack Grealish was brought connected - different antheral who needs an upturn successful output.

4. Doku backmost successful form

Another subordinate who's enjoying a overmuch amended commencement to the twelvemonth than the extremity of 2024 is Jeremy Doku. City's £55million signing enjoyed a promising archetypal play astatine the Etihad but has stalled since.

Doku, 22, appears to beryllium connected the comeback, though, arsenic his dazzling solo tally conscionable 4 minutes aft restart meant that he's scored 3 goals successful his past 10 games successful the Premier League. That's arsenic galore arsenic the Belgian managed successful his erstwhile 34 top-flight fixtures.

He soon turned provider, mounting Haaland up to marque it 5-0 successful the 57th minute. Doku should've had different assistance for the Norwegian 2 minutes later, but Walton kept it out.

5. McAtee makes his case

James McAtee has an absorbing 2 weeks up of him. Does helium travel successful Foden's footsteps and proceed to larn nether Guardiola, but with constricted minutes?

Or does helium beryllium brave similar Cole Palmer, who pushed for a determination and is present thriving? Either way, McAtee did himself nary harm with his archetypal league extremity for City. The 22-year-old's darting tally soon aft replacing De Bruyne was seen by Kovacic, who lofted the shot implicit Ipswich's backline, allowing McAtee to glimpse location and marque it six.

But the contention had been implicit agelong before.

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