ASTON VILLA..

WHO needs Erling Haaland when you’ve got Phil Foden?

Haaland was left on the bench – and had a front-row seat to watch Foden score a glorious hat-trick to demolish Aston Villa at the Etihad.

In the process, Foden took his tally for the season to 21 and helped Manchester City keep pace with Arsenal and Liverpool in the title race.

Foden is having a stand-out campaign and will be integral to England’s chances of winning the Euros this summer.

In the meantime, he seems on a mission to help City win backto-back Trebles. And on this evidence, it would take a brave man to back against him.

Villa stunned City with a 1-0 win in Birmingham back in December and were looking to complete their first league double against them since 1963.

Waiting

And just to add more spice to the occasion, City were still waiting for their first win over a rival in the top five this season.

But City should have been ahead inside two minutes when

Jack Grealish’s sublime ball set-up Haaland’s stand-in, Julian Alvarez, who hit the side-netting.

The miss didn’t matter though, because City did go ahead on 11 minutes through Rodri.

Foden sent Jeremy Doku racing to the byline and he pulled the ball back to Rodri, who lashed it in. Even at this stage the result felt inevitable.

But Villa stunned the Etihad with a superb equaliser out of nowhere on 20 minutes.

Jhon Duran exchanged a sharp one-two with Morgan Rogers before threading an angled shot across Stefan Ortega into the far corner.

Grealish was booked for mouthing off at Darren England and home tensions were rising.