03 March 2024 , 19:02
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Phil Foden was branded "the sniper" - after gunning down Manchester United to win the derby.
Marcus Rashford gave the Red Devils the lead with a stunning strike in the first half, before Foden hit back with one of his own after the break. Foden then gave Manchester City the lead as he finished off an excellent flowing move, before Erling Haaland sealed all three points with a strike in injury time.
Foden's equaliser was branded "special" on commentary by Gary Neville and his City teammate Kyle Walker revealed after the game what the squad's nickname is for the England international - and how it inspired his goal celebration.
"This season he has been nothing short of first class," Walker told Sky Sports when asked about Foden's performance. "That is the standard he sets for himself and we set for him. It is the standard he needs to keep up now.
"When he comes in on his left foot we call him the sniper because he likes to shoot. When he comes in on the left foot you know he has the calmness and composure to pick his spot. We lean on him.
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"We need important players like him because they help you win games. He puts the work in, he is always doing extra shooting. His goals are coming in, he is reaping the rewards and he needs to keep these standards up."
And Foden was delighted to have made such an impact in the derby. "That's my aim to turn up in the big games, that is what I want to do and this season I am proving that," he told Sky Sports.
Foden's brace helped City beat rivals Manchester United 3-1 (Nigel Keene/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)"I just need to keep working hard on the training pitch and keep putting performances on like that and keep working hard. I understand what a derby means to the fans. It means everything to me, to score is even better but overall to get the win was the most important thing today."
Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, hailed Foden as the Premier League 's top player on current form and said: "What can I say? He's the best player in the Premier League right now for the amount of things he does. Unbelievable.
"It's the amount of games he is playing. He was always a talented player, but now he's more mature and understands the game more, especially defensively. He can play middle, right, make moments and cut inside, play in the left, scoring from the left."
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