Assist of the season? Mesmerising Foden keeps title hopes alive

Breaking news from the world of sport: Assist of the season? Mesmerising Foden keeps title hopes alive Figure caption, Man City pile pressure on Arsenal with win over PalaceByShamoon Hafez Manchester City reporter at Etihad StadiumPublished17 minutes agoPhil Foden's magical first-half assist and welcome return to form was the catalyst that Manchester City desperately needed to maintain their challenge in this season's fascinating Premier League title race. The 25-year-old set up the first two goals in Wednesday night's comfortable 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace to leave Pep Guardiola's side trailing leaders Arsenal by two points heading into the final week of the campaign.

Up until Foden's fabulous backheel for Antoine Semenyo's opening goal, City had looked fragmented and disjointed after Guardiola had taken a chance with his starting line-up by making six changes. The Spaniard had already been stung earlier this season when he made 10 changes in the Champions League home defeat by Bayer Leverkusen, but leaving out the likes of Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku on this occasion was necessitated by the forthcoming FA Cup final. City go into Saturday's contest against Chelsea in the hunt for a domestic cup double and Foden may have played himself into contention for an appearance at Wembley following his impressive showing against Palace.

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"I checked a few times before receiving the ball and I saw Ant make a good movement," Foden said of the opening goal. "It is one of those, sometimes it doesn't come off. "Sometimes a risk is worth taking and I am very delighted it came off and we scored from it.

Buzzing to contribute to a goal and help the lads get three points which is the most important. "Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp called it the "assist of the season", while ex-City defender Micah Richards added on Sky Sports: "This is why I love him. "The little backheel is sensational.

I want him to do so well because he comes from the academy. To produce this from the academy, his vision and to execute that pass is mesmerising to me. "Man City beat Crystal Palace to keep heat on Arsenal 'When you get your moment, you have to take it'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Phil Foden was all smiles at full-time after his man-of-the-match displayFoden has scored 10 times in 48 appearances for City this season, but the most recent of those goals came on 14 December in the reverse fixture against Palace.

The midfielder has now gone 27 matches without scoring and Guardiola has acted by relegating him to the bench in recent months, with Wednesday's start against Palace just his third in his past 13 league games and his first since 4 March. "I would say I had a good half season - the first half - and dropped off a bit then struggled to find my place in the team," Foden said.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.