MANCHESTER: Pep Guar­d­iola said Phil Foden supplied the kind of inspiration that cannot be drawn up on a tactics board after the England midfielder drove Manchester City to a 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

City stayed hard on Arsenal’s heels, cutting their lead atop the table to two points with two games remaining, dominating Palace despite a lineup that featured six changes.

Foden made a rare appearance in the starting 11, and produced assists for the game’s first two goals, from Antoine Seme­nyo and Omar Marm­oush, setting up Semenyo with a crafty back-heel that had City fans roaring. A late strike from Savinho added gloss to the scoreline.

“You need the quality, the spark, the talent, the vision, something,” Guardiola said of Foden. “It’s not in the tactical boards, it’s not in the meetings, it’s not in the videos, it’s not even the trainings.

“(Foden) receives the ball in small spaces and creates something. Like the good players, he can deliver and I’m really pleased for him, his performance as a whole.”

Guardiola changed up his team with Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea in mind, and Foden — who will be a long shot to make Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup largely due to his lack of playing time — set the tempo.

Foden said the depth of Guardiola’s squad was proving vital in the season run-in.

“Massively important at this stage of the season to have fresh lads coming in,” Foden said. “We were all excited to play and we were ready. It’s a massive game, must-win, so we are really happy.”

The 25-year-old, who has had to be patient at times this season, was delighted to make his mark.

“Buzzing to contribute to a goal and help the lads get three points, which is the most important,” Foden said.

“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. It happens when you have quality players around you. You have to wait, be patient, train as hard as you can, and when you get your moment you have to take it.”

Guardiola knows that City do not control their fate.

If Arsenal beat Burnley on Monday, City must beat Europe-chasing Bournemouth, who are on a 16-game unbeaten run, the following day. They close the season against Aston Villa on May 24.

“I cannot ask for more. And now just incredible focus for the last two (league games),” Guardiola said. “But I would say, wow, the next contender is Bournemouth, look what they are doing this season, and after, Aston Villa — they are not easy ones, but just focusing and see what happens.”

Guardiola, whose team have lost the past two FA Cup finals, is chasing a domestic cup double after City lifted the League Cup earlier this season.

“All we can do is go to sleep as quickly as possible and prepare for the FA Cup,” he said. “That is what we have to do.

“The FA Cup, incredible respect. We lost the last two times because we were not good enough.

“We are going to go there to win. We have to be ready physically and mentally against a team who are not in the best season, but the quality is there. Of course, they will do their best, and we have to do our best to try to win.”

Standings

Teams P W D L GF GA PTS
Arsenal 36 24 7 5 68 26 79
Manchester City 36 23 8 5 75 32 77
Manchester United 36 18 11 7 63 48 65
Liverpool 36 17 8 11 60 48 59
Aston Villa 36 17 8 11 50 46 59
Bournemouth 36 13 16 7 56 52 55
Brighton & Hove Albion 36 14 11 11 52 42 53
Brentford 36 14 9 13 52 49 51
Chelsea 36 13 10 13 55 49 49
Everton 36 13 10 13 46 46 49
Fulham 36 14 6 16 44 50 48
Sunderland 36 12 12 12 37 46 48
Newcastle United 36 13 7 16 50 52 46
Leeds United 36 10 14 12 48 53 44
Crystal Palace 36 11 11 14 38 47 44
Nottingham Forest 36 11 10 15 45 47 43
Tottenham Hotspur 36 9 11 16 46 55 38
West Ham United 36 9 9 18 42 62 36
Burnley 36 4 9 23 37 73 21
Wolverhampton Wanderers 36 3 9 24 25 66 18

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2026