Phil Foden admitted his lack of goals was "eating me alive" before he ended the drought by opening the scoring in Manchester City's 3-2 Premier League victory over Ipswich Town. The midfielder converted Jeremy Doku's cross and celebrated by kissing the badge in front of the South Stand.
First goal since December
Foden's last goal came in December against Crystal Palace. He entered the match having missed the previous three Premier League games through suspension. Speaking to Match of the Day after full time, he expressed relief at ending the unwanted run.
"Definitely due one, I missed quite a few big chances this season," he said. "It's been eating me alive so good to score today but most important thing is to get three points and be in a good position in the league. [A] massive win."
Maresca's prediction proves correct
In his pre-match press conference, Enzo Maresca predicted Foden would score against Ipswich. That prediction proved accurate, and Foden praised the impact Maresca has had since returning to the Etihad Stadium.
"He's [Maresca] settled in really well, the lads are buying into what he wants to do. There's a lot of things to improve still and today is a good example of that, we can do a lot better. Hopefully we can keep improving and keep getting strong."
"We have to give Ipswich a lot of respect they played a brilliant game. Good on the ball, aggressive and made it difficult. It's not always going to be pretty it's just about getting the result, and we did that today so I'm really happy."
Home support in first match since charges verdict
This was City's first Premier League home match since the charges verdict was released. Inside the stadium, bananas were out in force to show solidarity with the club, and the Premier League anthem was loudly booed, as has become customary in recent years.
On the fans, Foden said: "You can tell they are behind us and they're pushing us. Nice to play at home you can hear how loud they are and they're giving us that extra boost that we need."
