Jack Grealish reaches out to Aston Villa star as boyhood club hands Man City title advantage

Jack Grealish has displayed his appreciation of Aston Villa after giving Manchester City a crucial boost in the Premier League title race.

Pep Guardiola’s side enjoyed an ideal Sunday afternoon after both Arsenal and Liverpool suffered surprise defeats to hand City an unexpected two-point lead at the top. The team had put pressure on their title rivals with a 5-1 win over Luton Town at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

After Liverpool failed to get the best of Crystal Palace in Sunday’s earlier game, attention turned to Aston Villa’s impressive 2-0 away win at Arsenal, which put City in pole position. Boyhood Villa fan Grealish, who arrived from Villa Park for £100m in 2021, reached out to one of his former teammates at the end of a dramatic weekend at the top of the Premier League table.

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Villa striker Ollie Watkins scored his side’s second goal with a delightful chipped finish and posted on Instagram: “A lot of people doubting me this year, I only use it as motivation.” City winger Grealish has been open about his adoration of Villa and was among those in the comments section, replying with two top emojis and a sky-blue heart, acknowledging how Watkins had helped City’s title bid.

City face a demanding schedule as they prepare for their return leg against Real Madrid on Wednesday, followed by an FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea at the weekend, before returning to league action. However, Guardiola was full of praise for his players at the weekend as they moved another step closer to a historic fourth-consecutive league title.

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