MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 LEICESTER: Pep Guardiola's side continued their resurgence with a comfortable win at the Etihad with Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush on the scoresheet
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22:11, 02 Apr 2025
Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates scoring the opening goal
Jack Grealish celebrates ending his Premier League goal drought for Manchester City's opener
(Image: Getty Images)
Jack Grealish scored his first Premier League goal for 16 months as Manchester City maintained their push for a Champions League place.
Grealish, who has had to be content with a place among Pep Guardiola's supporting cast this season, bagged his first league goal since December 2023 and produced a man-of-the-match display. The £100million winger may be forced to leave City this summer if he wants to play regularly and win back his England place ahead of next year's World Cup in the US.
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But for now, Grealish's focus is helping City's campaign to return to the Champions League, with this comfortable win taking Guardiola's side up one place to fourth. For Leicester, this was an eighth successive defeat, nudging the Foxes ever closer to their imminent fate of relegation to the Championship after a season back in the top flight.
City were without injured star striker Erling Haaland - but if ever there was a game they could do without their 30-goal marksman, this was it, given the obliging opposition. With just four points separating fifth-placed City from Bournemouth in 10th, Guardiola's side had to win to keep up their push for a return to European football's elite club competition.
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The City boss made six changes to the side that beat Bournemouth 2-1 on Sunday, the victory making it seven successive FA Cup semi-finals for the Blues. Nico O'Reilly's impressive display earned him a starting place, while winger Grealish started a Premier League game for the first time since December 21.
With Guardiola serving a one-match touchline ban after accruing too many yellow cards, it was left to his assistant, Juanma Lillo, to deliver instructions from the technical area. Lillo's task for the night was made easier with City taking the lead within two minutes, Jeremy Doku surging forward then finding Savinho, who cut the ball back for Grealish to dispatch a side-footed finish into the far corner.
The goal was missed by those protesting City fans who chose to stay on the stadium concourse until the ninth minute. City fans were taking a stand against the partnership with Viagogo, the ninth external ticketing website used by the club, with supporters concerned over pricing and selling practices.
Omar Marmoush scores Manchester City's second goal
Omar Marmoush scores Manchester City's second goal
Omar Marmoush doubled City's lead in the 30th minute, reacting quickest after Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen spilled the ball, sending it in off the underside of the bar. Leicester were being run ragged and Jamie Vardy's frustration boiled over three minutes later when he hacked down Marmoush, earning a yellow card for his cynical action.
The Leicester skipper, a liability given he was on a booking, did not emerge for the second-half, replaced by Oliver Skipp. Oscar Bobb, who suffered a broken leg in pre-season, made his long-awaited return as an 85th-minute replacement for Savinho, the winger earning a huge ovation from the home fans when he came on.
City were unable to add further goals in the second-half, but victory kept the soon-to-be-deposed champions on course for a 15th successive season in the Champions League.
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