Phil Foden confessed that the lack of goals had been weighing heavily on him. The midfielder made an impact in Manchester City's narrow 3-2 win against Ipswich in the Premier League.
The England international opened the scoring in the 19th minute, aided by a pass from Jeremy Doku. Ipswich quickly equalised through Daizen Maeda, but Erling Haaland soon netted a brace to keep City ahead. In a tense finale, Zian Flemming converted a penalty in the 90th minute, making the closing stages nerve-wracking for the hosts.
On scoring and pressure
Post-match, Foden discussed with BBC Match of the Day how meaningful it was for him to return to the scoresheet.
'I definitely should have scored a while ago. This season, I’ve missed a few easy chances. It ate away at me inside, so it’s nice to get on the scoresheet today. But the most important thing is to take the three points and maintain a good position in the league. This is a massive win,' the midfielder stated.
On Enzo Maresca's work
Foden praised the early work of Manchester City's new manager Enzo Maresca, emphasising that there’s still room for improvement.
'He’s settled in really well. The players are embracing his ideas. We still have a lot to improve on, and today’s match was a good example of that. We can play better. Hopefully, we’ll continue to develop and become stronger,' he noted.
On the opponent and fan support
Foden also commended Ipswich, who posed significant challenges to the league leaders.
'Full credit to Ipswich; they played a fantastic match. They were great on the ball, played aggressively, and made things difficult for us. Not everything will always be pretty — the main thing is to get the result. We did that today, and I’m really pleased,' the midfielder emphasised.
In closing, Foden expressed his gratitude to the Manchester City fans for their unwavering support at the home ground.
'You can really feel their presence pushing the team on. It’s lovely playing at home; you can hear how loud they cheer us on, and that gives us an extra boost which we definitely need.'
With this victory against Ipswich, Manchester City maintains a perfect record after seven Premier League matches.
