With Phil Foden receiving the ball on the edge of the box at Selhurst Park in the 69th minute of the match against Crystal Palace last weekend, with a clear shot, most of the audience knew what was coming next.
After a control to adjust the target, Foden's accurate shot was beyond the reach of goalkeeper Dean Henderson. The 25-year-old scored in his fourth consecutive Premier League match, thereby leveling his career- best scoring streak in the tournament.
The last time Foden did this was in January 2025, and he had the opportunity to break his personal record when Man City hosted West Ham United at home this weekend.
With 7 goals and 2 assists, Foden has been directly involved in 9 Premier League goals this season for The Citizens - the same number as last season, although he has only played in half of the matches (14 compared to 28).
In all competitions, the English midfielder has surpassed the total of 15 times participating in goals last season in less than 20 matches, with 13 goals and 5 assists in the 2025-2026 season.
Man City's 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in round 16 bears Foden's personal mark. It was his 12th goal outside the box in his Premier League career, and his eighth since the start of the 2023-24 season.
During that time, no player has scored more goals from outside the box than Foden in the tournament. On the whole of Europe, only Kylian Mbappe 18.18 has scored more goals than him 13.13 in all competitions among the players competing in the top five national championships.
However, despite continuing to score, coach Pep Guardiola still found some dissatisfactions in his students' overall performance. "He didn't play well today, lacked consistency. Phil Foden lost the ball too much and was in a hurry in the handling stages. He needs to control the tempo better, keep the ball, pass the ball on time and only accelerate when he needs to explode" - Guardiola said after the match.
Being criticized by one of the most complete coaches in world football is not uncommon for Foden. But that also reflects the fact that, for some, what he has done seems to be never enough.
There is no denying that Foden is one of the most outstanding talents in English football. He has had a total of 98 Premier League goals, including 68 goals and 30 assists. With less than a year left until the end of May 2026, Foden is almost certain to become the 20th player to reach the milestone of 100 goals in the tournament before this birthday.
Notably, 61 of those contributions have come in the last four seasons, helping him finish eighth in the Premier League for the total number of goals he has contributed to during this period.
When counting the number of minutes needed for each contribution, Foden is even more impressive, ranking fifth out of 14 players who have participated in at least 50 goals since the 2022-2023 season, with an average of 125 minutes per goal.
Foden seems to be in top form at the right time, not only for Man City but also opening up prospects for the England team.
6 months ago, few people thought that Foden would win a place in the England squad for the 2026 World Cup, surpassing many quality competitors in both the middle and on the wing to partner Harry Kane. But after 4 months of showing stable form at the club level, while some opponents have declined, Foden is gradually regaining his position.
However, his club form has not always been replicated in the international arena, where Foden has had to adapt to his teammates and a coach other than Guardiola. And more than anyone else, Foden himself knows that.
