When Pep Guardiola considered where goals would come from without Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish likely wasn`t his first thought.
Before last night`s game, Grealish, the £100 million signing, hadn`t scored in the Premier League since December 2023.
Grealish has had limited game time, struggling for consistent form and fitness since Manchester City`s treble win nearly two years prior.
However, he received a rare start, his seventh of the season, as Guardiola sought a victory against Leicester without the injured Haaland, who has 30 goals this season.
And Grealish repaid this confidence within just two minutes.
Many City fans protested the club`s ticketing policies by staying outside the stadium concourses until the ninth minute.
The visible empty seats were a strong statement, but those involved missed Grealish`s early goal.
Grealish remains a popular figure among City supporters despite a challenging couple of years.
The fans present cheered as he finished Savinho’s pullback from about 12 yards.
Among the spectators was Guardiola, serving a touchline ban from a previous yellow card.
He had placed Grealish in a central role ahead of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden, a decision that quickly proved effective.
For Leicester fans, it was a familiar disappointment. This match marked the 25th time in 30 Premier League games this season that the Foxes conceded the first goal.
This is a new record for the competition, with eight games still remaining.
Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team continues to make things difficult for themselves, and even against an uninspired City side, a comeback seemed unlikely.
Despite this, Leicester almost equalized when Bilal El Khannouss`s shot beat Ederson but narrowly missed the post.
Just before the half-hour mark, Leicester conceded again due to their own error.
Ruben Dias sent a long ball forward that bounced awkwardly in front of Leicester goalkeeper Hermansen.
Defender Wout Faes hesitated to clear, and Hermansen fumbled the ball at Marmoush’s feet.
Marmoush then powerfully shot the ball in off the crossbar.
That brings Marmoush`s goal contributions to 39 in 38 appearances for City and his former club Eintracht Frankfurt this season.
He is proving to be a valuable option in Haaland`s absence.
Marmoush could have scored again from Savinho’s cross, but Faes blocked his attempt.
Hermansen somewhat redeemed his earlier error by tipping Savinho’s shot over the bar.
Guardiola watched the match with a tech expert to ensure his instructions were relayed to assistant Juanma Lillo.
He was likely urging for a third goal to secure the win and focus on the upcoming derby against Manchester United.
That match will likely be a tougher challenge than facing Van Nistelrooy’s Leicester.
Despite City’s possession, they struggled to extend their lead, with Marmoush missing a chance to score again.
