Five Things Learned: Manchester City 2-0 Leicester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Leicester City in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Jack Grealish ended his 15-month goal drought in the Premier League within two minutes as the visitors posed little threat going forward and sat back deep for much of the 90 minutes.

Omar Marmoush pounced on miscommunication in defence for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s side to put City two up ahead of the interval.

City could have made it three, four and even five with a flurry of chances squandered to put the game beyond Leicester’s reach, but it was all too comfortable for Pep Guardiola’s men in the end.

The win sees City climb up to fourth place in the Premier League table ahead of Chelsea’s London derby visit to Tottenham on Thursday evening – three points against Spurs will see Enzo Maresca’s side return to fourth place.

Manchester City have eight league games to go in their bid to finish in the top four, a key objective for the reigning Premier League champions to finish a drab season on a high ahead of an FA Cup semi-final tie against Nottingham Forest.

Here are five things we learned from City’s 2-0 win over Leicester City on Wednesday!

1. The Grealish conundrum

Jack Grealish: stick or twist?

Manchester City will be presented with a dilemma as we approach the summer transfer window over whether Grealish has a future at the club. He played with a sense of confidence and freedom we haven’t seen from the Englishman in some time, as if there was a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

The 29-year-old reflected candidly on his struggles in the last two seasons after the game against Leicester, scoring for the first time in the Premier League in over 15 months to give City an early lead.

It is understood Grealish is currently more likely to leave than stay but that could all change if the £100 million signing from 2021 picks himself up and uses his brilliant display against Leicester to lead Manchester City into the top four.

2. Much-needed from Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan’s displays since his dramatic, last-minute return to City from Barcelona last summer have stirred up some debate amongst the fanbase.

The 34-year-old is well beyond his prime but is still highly rated by Guardiola, who made the German his first signing when he was appointed Manchester City manager in 2016.

Gundogan has failed to replicate his heroics from City’s historic 2022-23 treble season but he has delivered a series of convincing performances in the last few months.

City need the best of Gundogan at a time when Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva haven’t been at their creative best, with the Blues also set to miss Erling Haaland for the next month-and-a-half.

3. Sky is the limit for Savinho

Can we talk about Savinho?

The young winger has received huge plaudits for his trickery and individualism on the wing since his arrival last summer, having provided eight assists for City in the Premier League this season.

His finishing has let him down and refrained him from clocking a significant number of goals, which has been a theme of City’s attack this season with the exception of Haaland.

However, his playmaking, ability to turn and sense of space has seen his produce as many chances as anyone in City’s starting XI

4. O’Reilly continues to impress

Nico O’Reilly won his place in the lineup against Leicester after coming on at half-time at the weekend and dragging City over the line to seal a place in a seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final.

The youngster, primarily a central defender, has previously operated largely in a left-back role this season and he was once agains flawless in the position on Wednesday, with Josko Gvardiol partnering Ruben Dias at centre-half.

O’Reilly has been a breath of fresh air in a City side often lacking of pace and desire this season and there is little doubt the 20-year-old will be

5. Bobb boost!

Oscar Bobb is back. This is not a drill.

The Norwegian starred during pre-season but suffered a leg break in the days after Manchester City’s Community Shield win over Manchester United.

Guardiola has been very patient during Bobb’s recovery after the 21-year-old’s subsequent setback in February, which pushed his return date back further.

City need all the help they can get going forward in Haaland’s absence and Bobb can provide that cutting edge Guardiola needs to secure a top four finish.