Jack Grealish needed that. It is not how he imagined his 13-month Manchester City goal drought would end – a penalty in an 8-0 FA Cup win over fourth-tier Salford City in a non-contest where a burgeoning youngster, James McAtee, netted a hat-trick – but a weight has been lifted off his shoulders nonetheless.
Despite Pep Guardiola making an uncharacteristic number of changes to his starting XI, City showed zero mercy, as they often do against lower-ranked opponents in cup competitions, with Grealish the beating heart of the champions’ attempts to rediscover their unrelenting streak that has helped them dominate English football for so long.
