Manchester City captain Kyle Walker lauded “sniper” Phil Foden after his brace helped secure a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.
Foden cancelled out Marcus Rashford’s brilliant first-half opener with a fine strike of his own 11 minutes after the break.
And the Stockport-born playmaker added another finish in the 80th minute before Erling Haaland wrapped up a Manchester derby victory in stoppage time.
Walker, asked about Foden’s stunning equaliser, told Sky Sports: “You know when he comes in on his left foot…we call him the sniper, because he likes to shoot.
“He likes a shot, so when he comes in on that left foot, you know he has the quality and the calmness and composure to pick his spot and I thought he took his goal fantastically well.”
Foden then switched over to the left side, from where he scored his second and earned City a big victory in their Premier League title challenge.
Walker added: “The second, probably coming off the left-hand side, you don’t really see Phil in that position but for him to find the corner as he has done, I think that just shows his flexibility.
"That is one derby diamond!" 💎
Phil Foden with a ROCKET! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/EftQ3w7MUC
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 3, 2024
“He’s even been trusted down the middle as well this year, which I think is a big part of the responsibility he has taken on. We lean on him and we need important players like him.
“He loves a shot, he practices, he puts in the work and he’s always doing extra shooting. His goals are coming, he’s reaping the rewards and he needs to keep these standards up.
“I think this season he’s been nothing short of first class. That’s the standard he sets for himself, that’s the standard we set for him, the manager (Pep Guardiola) and that’s the standard he has to keep up now.”
Foden, who now has 18 goals in all competitions for City this season, said: “That’s my aim, to turn up in the big games.
“That’s what I want to do and I think this season I’m proving that. I just need to keep working hard on the training pitch and keep putting performances like that in, keep working hard.
“I understand what it means for the fans, a derby at the Etihad, it means everything for me. To score as well is even better, but overall to get the win was the most important thing today.”
United protested in vain that Rashford had been fouled by Walker moments before Foden’s first goal, with manager Erik ten Hag booked for his reaction on the touchline.
Asked about that incident, Walker said: “I haven’t looked back at it so I don’t know – I didn’t feel there was much in it.
“Probably I did what I normally do and got my arm across people. But the referee has seen it, he’s checked it on the VAR, and they just have to take it as that and we’ve gone up the other end and it’s kind of sod’s law, isn’t it?”