Foden hat-trick keeps Man City in thick of title race

Manchester City took three points from Aston Villa after a 4-1 win on Wednesday, securing the third place in the Premier League with 67 points, level with Liverpool ahead of them and two short of leaders Arsenal, but Liverpool still has a game in hand.

Villa remain fourth with 59 points, but they have played a game more than fifth-ranked Tottenham Hotspur with 57, and the hopes of reaching the Champions League are still alive for both.

Phil Foden contributed a hat-trick after Rodri opened the lead for City at the 11th minute with a cross from Jeremy Doku, and Jhon Duran found an equalizer for the visitors, slotting it in the far corner after a neat 1-2 play with Morgan Rogers in the 20th minute.

"Phil, when he plays in a central position, he has a sense of goal," said City manager Pep Guardiola.

The English international was awarded a free-kick after being fouled and made no mistake to put City ahead again just before halftime. He was then set up by Rodri to achieve a double before upgrading to a hat-trick by blasting the ball into the top corner from 25 yards, bringing his tally for City this season to 21 goals across all competitions.

City's scoring machine Erling Haaland and another franchise player Kevin De Bruyne were rested the entire match, as they face an intense schedule in days to come.

"The schedule is terrible and we have to bring energy. Everybody has to be involved," said Guardiola on his decision to leave out the two players.

Liverpool can reclaim their top spot when they host lower side Sheffield United on Thursday, while City, a treble winner, retain their chance of winning four consecutive English titles.

Elsewhere in Europe, Kylian Mbappe's lone goal sent 14-time winners Paris St Germain into the French Cup final in their clash with Stade Rennais. Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen overcame Fortuna Dusseldorf 4-0 to reach the German Cup final. Fiorentina established an early lead beating Atalanta 1-0 at home in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg.