A smiling Foden gliding across the turf in full flow is a joy for City fans to watch and he sent them home happy after a performance in which he had a hand in four of the five goals.
Boss Maresca took a risk by making eight changes from the side that beat Ipswich in their last outing, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias and Foden the players retained.
Striker Erling Haaland was named in the squad but ultimately given the night off after sustaining a blow to the foot in the previous game, giving Maresca the chance to explore his suggestion that Foden could offer a “solution” in the false nine role.
After starting on the right, he moved into that position later in the game and it paid dividends, with Foden saying he “really enjoyed” the role.
Though there was a brief scare for City at the start of the second half when the visitors pulled a goal back to trail 2-1, they found another gear and were out of sight by the final whistle.
And by then, Foden had become just the third Englishman to score a hat-trick and provide an assist in a Champions League match after Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2004 and former team-mate Raheem Sterling for City in 2019.
While the first and third goals were converted from close range, the second was a stunning finish from just inside the area, Foden opening up his body and caressing a first-time effort into the top corner.
“Beautiful – that’s the word I would use to describe him,” former City defender Joleon Lescott said of Foden on TNT Sports. “His finishing was exquisite.
“I think he has convinced the manager that if Erling Haaland isn’t available for any reason throughout the season, then he is the man to play at number nine.”