Jack Grealish has been praised for his ‘best’ Man City performance under Pep Guardiola after their 1-1 draw away to RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
THE LOWDOWN: CITY SHARE SPOILS…
The Premier League champions came away from Germany all square heading into their Champions League second leg at the Etihad in three weeks time.
City dominated the first period in Leipzig and were rewarded through a sumptuous finish courtesy of Riyad Mahrez, his 20th career goal in Europe as the Algerian’s brilliant record in the competition continues.
However, the home side came out for the next 45 with much more intensity and caused City problems with their high pressing – eventually drawing level through centre-back Josko Gvardiol.
Neither side could clinch the winner with this result setting up what should be a very entertaining encounter at Eastlands.
THE LATEST: GREALISH PRAISE…
Following the draw, journalist Michael Plant heaped praise on Grealish, who looked lively throughout and consistently ran at Leipzig causing problems.
He explained:
“Mixed night for #MCFC who were excellent in the first half and way off it after the break. But Grealish was immense throughout – repeated runs caused Leipzig issues. This is the man City deemed worth £100m – probably his best performance for the club.”
WHICH OF THESE FAMOUS CELEBRITIES SUPPORT MAN CITY? FIRST UP, ANDY BURNHAM THE BLUE?
THE VERDICT: GETTING BETTER…
The former Aston Villa star has long been criticised for not quite living up to this £100 million price tag but Grealish has certainly come into his own lately.
Once struggling for game time, the England international has become a fixed name on Guardiola’s team sheet in recent months – starting 12 of City’s last 13 league games (Transfermarkt).
The 27-year-old has bagged four assists and two goals in that time, including a Manchester derby strike against bitter rivals Man United as he adds more potency in the final third.
Grealish also ranks among City’s top four best players by average match rating, making their second highest rate of key passes per 90 and completing more dribbles than any current squad member (WhoScored).
The winger is now one of Guardiola’s most crucial players and critics simply must stand up and take notice.
Punter misses out on £36k win after Man City concede – and doesn’t take cash out
Football can be a cruel mistress and that was the case for a punter who just needed a Manchester City win to land a mega £36,000 mixed horse racing accumulator
Man City conceding against RB Leipzig was costly for one punter (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City let one punter down for £36,000 after they failed to beat RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
City were dominant in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie away in Germany but could only find the back of the net once through Riyad Mahrez. That came back to bite them when Josko Gvardiol headed home an equaliser with 20 minutes to go.
Pep Guardiola’s side weren’t able to snatch a winner – much to the frustration of Tottenham fan and Twitter user @connorlee150392. He was waiting on City to land an audacious five-fold accumulator.
Connor backed them them to win at 17/20 along with four horses – 2/1 Patient Dream and 7/4 Seigneur Des As at Ludlow, 2/1 Fleurman at Newcastle and 13/8 The Connector at Punchestown – which had all come in.
He placed £300 on the acca, which had odds of 120/1 and would’ve returned £36,057.65. Prior to the City game he was offered a cash out of more than £17k and after Mahrez’s goal in excess of £28k.
That left fellow footy fans divided. One argued: “Surely you cash from a £300 stake.” Another said: “I’d have cashed that out, blokes got massive balls.”
Source: footballtransfertavern.com; dailystar.co.uk
