Man City 2 Leicester 0: Grealish scores first league goal since 2023 to fire hosts into top 4 with Foxes doomed to drop
WHEN Pep Guardiola was wondering where the goals would come from in Erling Haaland’s absence, it’s fair to assume he wouldn’t have thought of Jack Grealish.
After all before last night, the £100 million man had not found the net in the Premier League since December 2023.
He has found games hard to come by, struggling for form and fitness since helping Manchester City to the treble almost two years ago.
But he was handed a rare vote of confidence with just a seventh Prem start of the season – as Guardiola looked to find a way to win against Leicester without the crocked 30 goal forward Haaland.
And within two minutes, he repaid him.
Thousands of City fans stuck to their plan to stay in the concourses until the ninth minute of the game.
This was in protest at the way the club is treating it’s hardcore support – but in particular the link-up with another third-party ticket company this week – the ninth one currently involved.
The large number of empty blue seats were an eye-catching way to make a point but unfortunately for those involved they missed something of a collector’s item within the first two minutes.
Grealish remains a popular figure with the Etihad faithful despite a frustrating couple of years.
So the fans who were in their seats were thrilled when he got on the end of Savinho’s pull-back to sweep home from 12 yards.
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Among those in the stands was Guardiola, who was serving a touchline ban following his yellow card at Bournemouth at the weekend.
He had given his record signing a much-needed boost by picking him in a central role ahead of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden – and it had paid off.
But for those in the visitors end, it was a painfully familiar tale. This was the 25th time the Foxes have conceded the first goal in 30 Prem matches this season.
That is a new record in the competition – with eight games still to play.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s men keep making life difficult for themselves and even against a below par City team it always felt like a long way back.
Even so they came within a whisker of equalising when Bilal El Khannouss curled a shot that beat Ederson but curled just wide of the post.
And just before the half hour mark, they went further behind and it was completely of their own making.
Ruben Dias chipped a hopeful ball forward which bounced awkwardly in front of Hermansen.
In fairness his defender Wout Faes did him no favours as he thought about clearing it but even so the Danish keeper should have held on to it.
Instead he spilled it at the feet of Marmoush who thumped his shot in off the underside of the bar.
That’s 39 goal contributions for the Egyptian in 38 appearances for City and former club Eintracht Frankfurt this season.
Not a bad option to step in when you lose your main man.
The £64million man could have added another when he turned on to Savinho’s cross but saw his effort blocked by Faes.
And Hermansen partly made amends for his earlier clanger by smartly tipping over a rising effort from Savinho.
Guardiola spent the game sat with a tech expert in the stands to ensure all his messages to his assistant Juanma Lillo were getting through.
He was probably telling him to go for a third goal to put the game to bed so he could turn his thoughts to Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford.
That will surely be a sterner test than the team managed by former Red Devils hero Van Nistelrooy.
Yet for all City’s possession they struggled to find a way through with Marmoush firing one effort high over the bar when you would have expected him to hit the target.
Leicester’s skipper Jamie Vardy had gone off at half-time and there was little threat from the visitors – with or without the veteran striker.
With the minutes ticking by and his team not needing to get out of second gear, Guardiola sent a message down to throw on his Norwegian forward.
Although it wasn’t you know who.
Oscar Bobb was expected to be a shining light for City this year after shining on the pr-season tour of America but broke his leg in training in August.
He has had to be patient in his comeback but was given a few mintues as a replacement for Savinho at the end and was given a rapturous welcome back by the fans.
Bobb could be a useful addition as City look to nail down that Champions League place and also go for glory in the FA Cup.
Who needs Haaland anyway?