Grealish, who left Aston Villa for Man City in a record £100m transfer in the summer of 2021, is now on loan at Everton
Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye celebrate Everton's first victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye celebrate Everton's first victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Jack Grealish put in a man-of-the-match display as Everton claimed a 2-0 win against Brighton in the first Premier League game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The on-loan Manchester City winger, like the Toffees’ new home on the banks of the River Mersey, offers hope of a brighter future, and the England international started to emerge from his personal doldrums with assists for both goals.
He managed just two in the last two Premier League seasons at City under Pep Guardiola, but matched that in only 71 minutes of football after his change of scenery.
The first was for Iliman Ndiaye, who wrote his name into the history books for a second time in three months as the scorer of the final goal at Goodison Park and the first at their new home.
Even Grealish will admit his second owed more to the pureness of James Garner’s 25-yard strike than his gentle roll-back for the makeshift left-back, but he fully deserved his standing ovation in second-half added time.
Grealish told Sky Sports: "It was massive. First game at the new stadium and we wanted to put on a show for the supporters, and I think we certainly did that. Very happy to get the win.
“I always say playing against Brighton is one of the toughest games with the way they play, so we're very happy to get the win.”
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Grealish, who left Aston Villa for City in a record £100m transfer in the summer of 2021, recognised the significance of his performance after joining Everton on loan in the summer.
He added: “I loved my time at Man City and I had a great four years there and won a lot of things, but this summer I felt like it was time for a change.
“As soon as I spoke to (Everton manager) David Moyes, I wanted to come here and today shows why. There were a lot of reasons why coming here was right for me.”
Ndiaye latched onto an inspired Grealish pass to fire the hosts in front, and he told Sky Sports: "It was very special. We didn't begin the Premier League well last weekend (losing at Leeds) so it felt good to come here and give the fans what they deserve.”
And on his partnership with Grealish, he added: "It could be great. Jack is an amazing player, we all know that. He assisted me for the first goal and the second goal too. It could be very good this season."
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