Phil Foden's top Premier League moments from 2020/21 - ranked

If we have one motive to thank the genius that is Pep Guardiola, it is for not bending to media pressure and potentially rushing the career of child prodigy Phil Foden.

It turns out, he actually learnt more from working shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest stars and the greatest coach in world football, than if he had been sent out on loan to Barnsley, where he'd get the life kicked out of him for 46 games in the Championship.

Who knew, eh?

Foden has been carefully nurtured over the past three or four years, and now at the very tender age of 21, he is demonstrating what we all suspected, but had never been given the chance to witness: he is possibly the biggest English talent since Wayne Rooney.

It's a huge pressure in itself to be awarded such a comparison, but we get the feeling that it will not faze Foden one jot. He has exploded onto the Premier League scene this year, having finally been handed the keys to the City attack.

His nine goals and five assists in 28 appearances fired Manchester City to Premier League title glory, and earned him both recognition with England, and being crowned the top-flight's best young player.

That's right, the Premier League has chosen Foden as their young player of the season for the 2020/21 campaign, and in honour of the Citizens' jewel, 90min has decided to take a look back at his best bits from an unforgettable Premier League campaign.

5. Everton destruction

Let's start at the end, shall we? Foden finished the season in clinical form, and his display against Everton made Sergio Aguero's goodbye party all the more comfortable.

He even got in on the scoring act himself in the 5-0 demolition, demonstrating all the razor sharp footwork and unpredictable movement that we've come to expect from the young lad all season.

Foden was fed the ball inside the box and looked up to see two defenders swarming around him. Quick as a flash, he was free. A drop of the shoulder, a swerve of the hips and a dip onto his right foot, the forward was now completely unmarked, and faced the simple job of stroking home.

Simple for him, that is.

4. First goal of the season

It's not easy to cement your place in this star-studded Man City side, so you need to hit the ground running. That's exactly what Foden did, scoring and turning in a superb display in their 3-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second game of the season.

The 21-year-old showed great understanding, composure and movement to pull into space and round off a typically cutting Man City move, slotting into the back of the net with ease.

It was the first of nine goals that season, and one which confirmed to us all that Foden was here to stay in the Citizens' lineup.

3. Soaring beyond Seagulls

This goal may have meant little in the grand scheme of things, as Man City ended up crumbling to a 3-2 defeat at Brighton, but it was a beauty at least.

Collecting the ball in his own half, Foden shrugged off one challenge before beginning a daring glide down the left flank. His sudden change of pace left Ben White chasing shadows, and he soon found himself inside the box on his favoured left foot.

From that moment on, there was only one thought in his mind: bury it. Foden caressed a shot towards the far post, and sure enough, it evaded the Brighton goalkeeper's dive and put the Citizens two goals to the good.

Let's pretend the game ended there, shall we?

2. Blitz at the Bridge

'Chelsea' may not be a word which Citizens want to read at the moment, but back in January, Man City were kings of Stamford Bridge. Foden was at the heart of everything dangerous the champions pulled off on that day, as they rampaged to a 3-1 victory over the Blues.

Guardiola's men dismantled Frank Lampard's strugglers in a devastating 16-minute spell, scoring three goals and tearing the hosts from limb to limb. Foden got them moving with a quickly-thought out and expertly executed assist for Ilkay Gundogan, before writing his own name on the scoresheet.

The youngster occupied a tiny pocket of space in the Chelsea box, and waited for Kevin de Bruyne to pick him out. As always, the Belgian delivered, and Foden boasted the calm and presence of mind to neatly flick the ball inside the near post.

Ah, back when beating Chelsea was so easy...

1. Anfield masterclass

This was the game where we all genuinely thought, "Wow, this kid is the business, isn't he?" Despite Liverpool's dismal attempt to defend their Premier League crown, they were still the champions going into this match, and were up for the battle.

The Reds never stood a chance, though. Foden was in inspired form, having a hand in three of Man City's four goals in a 4-1 destruction. He danced through the Liverpool defence for the first, seeing his shot saved, but Gundogan was on hand to tuck home.

Next, the Englishman picked up the ball on the right flank from a poor Alisson Becker clearance, put his head down and charged into the box. He weaved through a flurry of tackles, and then popped the ball off to Gundogan, who tapped home his second of the night. Magic.

And finally, it was his turn to find the net. Hugging the right flank, Foden killed a cross-field ball with one touch, sized up Andy Robertson, jinked inside the full-back and hammered an unstoppable shot which fizzed into the top corner beyond Alisson. Wow, wow, wow.