Jack Grealish scored his first Premier League goal for 16 months as Manchester City eased to a 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday to keep alive their hopes of Champions League qualification for next season.
Grealish netted inside two minutes and Omar Marmoush added a second goal as City moved into fourth place in the table with 51 points from 30 games. Leicester are 19th with 17 points from the same number of matches, 12 points from relegation safety.
Pep Guardiola watched from the stands as he serves a touchline ban and what seemed like several thousand City fans missed the first nine minutes, including Grealish’s goal, as they vacated their seats in protest at the club’s ticket prices.
“It wasn’t easy with 10 players behind the ball,” Guardiola told the BBC. “We missed the third goal to be more relaxed, it’s never over. But pleased for a good performance.
“We never give up to find the third goal. A performance that nothing wrong happened, everyone focused. We missed a third goal, that’s all.”
Leicester slipped to a seventh Premier League loss in a row without scoring a goal on another dire night in which they did not even manage a shot on target.
Their expected goals figure of 0.02 is the lowest of any team this season.
“Not scoring, losing games, so the bad start is extra hard to recover from,” Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy told SkySports. “The situation we’re in, only by hard work can we get out.
“The gap is huge now, it’s a challenge. Nevertheless we have eight games to play and we have to represent ourselves in the best possible way.”
It was far from a vintage City performance but they controlled the game throughout and were helped by Grealish’s early strike.
Savinho picked him out in the box with a low cross after Jeremy Doku had won the ball in midfield, and Grealish stroked the ball into the back of the net from 15 metres.
“It is not easy when you don’t play regularly,” Guardiola said. “The goal is good for him and playing in a more central position, he’s more comfortable on the sides. He’s playing really good.”
City doubled their lead following a poor error from Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.
The gloveman failed to collect a routine take from a cross into the box and Marmoush sent the loose ball into the net off the underside of the bar.
With Erling Haaland ruled out for seven weeks with an ankle injury, Marmoush could be a key player for City in their chase for Champions League football.
“He has a good sense, good numbers for the short time he’s been with us. Dynamic, good pressing, really pleased for him,” Guardiola said of Marmoush.
–Reuters
