The winger produced his best display for months in a hugely entertaining friendly between the Cityzens and the Catalans in Orlando
Jack Grealish had pledged to make up for his struggles last season by hitting the ground running ahead of Manchester City's new campaign, and he was true to his word on Tuesday, producing a stunning display in a thrilling 2-2 draw with Barcelona.
The pre-season friendly was heavily delayed as thunder and lightning hit Orlando, but it was Grealish who later provided the electricity to help City twice come from behind against a young but daring Barca side who were playing their first game under Hansi Flick.
The German coach was missing most of his first-team regulars but watched Pau Victor give his side the lead midway through the first half after a flowing passing move. City's 19-year-old Nico O'Reilly equalised with the help of Grealish, but Barca came right back at Pep Guardiola's side, with Pablo Torre striking again before the break.
Torre was aided by some sloppy goalkeeping from Ederson, who is having a nightmare tour of the United States, which could yet prove to be his final act in a City shirt amid transfer links to Saudi Arabia. Grealish, though, took matters into his own hands to equalise in the second half, scoring for the first time since December.
The game had to be settled on penalties, where Barca won 4-1 after Kalvin Phillips and Jacob Wright squandered their spot-kicks, meaning City are still without a win three games into their jaunt around the States. These tours are less about results and more about picking up momentum, however, and if Grealish can continue to replicate the spark he offered here, it will have been time well spent.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Camping World Stadium…
GettyWINNER: Jack Grealish
Grealish went into this game with a point to prove after flat individual performances against Celtic and AC Milan, and it was a case of third-time lucky as he was City's most impressive player on the night.
The £100 million ($128m) man made a strong start to the game with a blistering early move after linking up with Phillips, albeit he missed the target. He remained determined to have an impact and helped set up the first equaliser by patiently holding the ball up and laying it off to Josko Gvardiol, who then teed up O'Reilly.
Grealish, who wore the captain's armband in the second half, completed his resurgent performance by scoring City's second, linking up with Mateo Kovacic before thrashing the ball into the far corner. When he was eventually taken off, he received an enthusiastic pat on the back from Guardiola, who had warned him that he would not tolerate a repeat of last season. Grealish appears to have taken his manager's advice on board.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Ghost goal farce
VAR might not be universally popular among football fans, but the need for goal-line technology at all levels was underlined when Erling Haaland was denied a clear goal in the first half.
The striker slid in to meet Oscar Bobb's cross and his shot squirmed under the arms of Barcelona goalkeeper Inaki Pena, clearly crossing the line. MLS referee Timothy Ford did not notice that the ball had gone in, and he got no help from his fellow officials as there was no VAR nor goal-line technology.
Barcelona have first-hand experience of the importance of goal-line technology, which remarkably still does not exist in La Liga. Its absence led to Lamine Yamal being denied a goal against Real Madrid in last season's Clasico, with huge ramifications on the title race. And several years previously, Lionel Messi was denied a goal against Valencia due to the lack of the outside intervention.
City should be grateful that the technology has been in use in the Premier League since 2013 and that this flagrant error only occurred in a friendly.
Getty WINNER: Hansi Flick
This was Flick's first game in charge of Barcelona and he would have been pleased with the result and performance in his dugout debut with the Catalans.
Yes, his side gave away the lead twice, but they were fielding a second-string team that mostly consisted of academy players and started with far less experienced operators than their opponents. The most seasoned Barca player to start the game was Clement Lenglet, although the cavalry arrived in second half, with Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro Balde coming on.
Despite missing so many regulars due to players still being on their holidays after the Euros and Copa America, this fledgling Barca side played with real confidence and style, serving up exciting, flowing football that was rarely seen last season under Xavi.
Flick, who masterminded Bayern Munich's 8-2 demolition of Barca in 2020, was hired at the expense of club legend Xavi to make the team more exciting, and if this performance is anything to go by, it could prove to be a wise appointment.
GettyLOSER: Ederson
This tour could prove to be Ederson's last stand for City as he edges towards a move to the Saudi Pro League. And that would be a real shame because he would not be going out on a high.
The Brazilian has conceded five goals in City's three games in the States despite just playing 45 minutes on each occasion. He made two costly errors in the last match against AC Milan, and he was poor again here, softly letting Torre's strike slip through his handS right before half-time.
His concentration and his footwork had been sloppy before then and the goal was another demonstration of his tendency to concede soft goals, often the opponents' first attempt on target. Guardiola has insisted he does not want Ederson to leave the club, but these latest performances might convince him otherwise.