Manchester City weathered the storm to return to winning ways in the Premier League against Everton, who did not make things easy for them at all.
Coming off their FIFA Club World Cup win, the Cityzens were still without star striker Erling Haaland but found inspiration from another influential youngster in the form of Phil Foden.
The Englishman showcased immense character in guiding his side through a tough game and inspiring their second-half comeback in front of a raucous Goodison Park crowd.
Foden came out firing on all cylinders in the second half and scored an impressive equalizer, smashing a long-range effort past England teammate Jordan Pickford.
The goal came out of nowhere and only due to the individual brilliance of the Manchester City star.
Foden was the driving force for his side against the Toffees, carrying the ball forward and creating a number of prominent chances – all while also testing Pickford with a lot of shooting attempts.
The 23-year-old definitely earned the admiration of Pep Guardiola for his excellent performance in that no.10 position and the gaffer showcased his love for him in public after full-time.
As Foden was appreciating the travelling fans in the away end at Goodison Park, the Spanish manager approached him to give him a hug.
Guardiola would then go on to gesture towards the crowd to show more love to Foden for his excellent performance.
He also made this kind of sign pointing at him as if to say ‘he’s the star’ before giving him a pat on his cheek, leaving the young midfielder gleaming with pride and joy.
The Manchester City supporters clearly can’t get enough of this father-son-like interaction between the two and love how Guardiola loves to show his love for Foden in public after his impressive performances.
However, some are not that sure about how much Pep likes him considering that Foden is constantly played in the wings – which is outside his comfort zone due to the manager’s love for tinkering his squad around all the time.
But the Spanish gaffer did not shy away from heaping praise onto the 23-year-old Englishman after his heroics against Everton, praising him for ‘controlling the game’ for the Cityzens and his qualities too.
He said: “We forget sometimes how young Phil is. The talent is there: winger, striker, drop in, he can play in attacking midfielder and without options from Erling we need a sense of goal.
“Otherwise, we don’t have many players with a real sense of goal that’s why how he’s playing is so important. We’re pleased. Don’t forget he’s young and has lots to improve to be top class for many years.” Guardiola clearly loves the versatility that Foden has to offer, which is why he shifts him around in different positions all throughout the season.
With Kevin de Bruyne nearing a return to action for the defending champions, the Englishman might need to settle for playing in the wings or an impact substitute role again in the near future despite his recent heroics.
