The England midfielder showed he deserves more opportunities to rediscover his old form in a very comfortable evening against the struggling Foxes
Manchester City were without Erling Haaland and didn't have Pep Guardiola in the dugout, but they barely had to break stride as they beat Leicester City 2-0 on Wednesday to boost their chances of finishing in the Premier League's top four.
Jack Grealish was the principal benefactor of Guardiola's decision to rotate his squad, and the midfielder wasted no time at all in making an impression, scoring in the second minute after a generous lay off from the lively Savinho. Indeed, many City fans missed the goal as they boycotted the opening nine minutes in protest to the club's measures on ticketing.
Omar Marmoush doubled City's lead just before the half-hour mark after an absolute howler from Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, and it looked like City were going to fill their boots, but they effectively declared and conserved their energy for Sunday's derby against Manchester United. Given the lack of threat Leicester were offering, it was a logical move that paid off handsomely.
GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…
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Ederson (6/10):
Could relax and put his feet up as he had no saves to make and only had to use his feet on a couple of occasions.
Matheus Nunes (6/10):
A good game to boost his confidence after struggling against Bournemouth.
Ruben Dias (7/10):
Very comfortable in defence, to the point he was able to get forward and spark Marmoush's goal with a chip into the box.
Josko Gvardiol (6/10):
Not as threatening as usual due to playing in the middle of the defence, but showed he is still a classy operator at centre-back, the position in which he made his name.
Nico O'Reilly (6/10):
Not as active as in the FA Cup tie at Bournemouth, but looked very comfortable in his first Premier League start and played his part in Marmoush's goal by occupying Hermansen's mind.
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Ilkay Gundogan (7/10):
Went on a marauding run through the middle before being fouled. Spread the play with ease and was able to run the midfield.
Nico Gonzalez (7/10):
A powerful presence in midfield, ensuring Leicester never got close to creating anything.
Jack Grealish (8/10):
Grabbed the opportunity of a first league start since December with both hands and showed he deserves more opportunities.
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Savinho (8/10):
Was constantly stretching Leicester's defence with his mazy runs and set up the opening goal.
Omar Marmoush (6/10):
Took his goal well, although given the lack of quality of the opponent he should have caused more damage in Haaland's absence.
Jeremy Doku (6/10):
Lively down the left wing but didn't have much end product.
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James McAtee (6/10):
Got a relaxing 12 minutes after replacing Doku.
Oscar Bobb (N/A):
Got a hero's welcome after making his first appearance of the season following a horrific injury at the start of the campaign, but only got five minutes.
Rico Lewis (N/A):
Came on in added time.
Vitor Reis (N/A):
On in stoppage time.
Pep Guardiola (6/10):
Banned from the touchline but had little to worry about. His choice to give some game time to the lesser used players suited the occasion and the opponent perfectly.