Manchester City – Aston Villa: Phil Fulfilling Destiny (4-1)

The future belongs to Phil Foden. Careful cradling of Manchester City's darling has fought to foolproof his fate. However, he again asserted how he is a man for the here and now. A treble of strikes slaughtered the guests to grab three more points in the race for the Premier League title.

Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.

Man cannot manage Mother Nature. But when will she have her way? Manchester City's moon has not cast its ominous blue shade over the English shores. The reigning champions refrained from risking it all against Arsenal, but conservatism cost them their place in the top two by the end of the weekend as Liverpool returned to the summit. A date at the Bernabéu with Real Madrid lingers in the back of the mind: another obstacle to the title defense if the hosts do not pick up their act quickly.

True to nature, their opponents could again be the villains of the piece. Aston Villa were the last club to inflict a defeat on City, holding onto a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory at Villa Park. In the midst of a streak of ten triumphs, two draws, and just a single loss between September and December, the team . . .