Jack Grealish, once again, missed the chance to prove he can be Manchester City's main man when called upon.
So often the go to individual during his time at Aston Villa, the England star has struggled to transition from being a big fish in a small pond to simply a star among many others. His £100m price tag, which was enforced by his release clause at Villa Park, brings with it continued pressure.
Grealish has often said he relishes the responsibility, but on Wednesday night he didn't look like a player ready to grab the game by the scruff of the net. His performance in the first-half was so subdued that Pep Guardiola decided the 27-year-old's night was up after 45 minutes.
Being hooked at the interval is always damning. Sometimes a player is sacrificed to tweak the system, but Rodri's introduction at the expense of Grealish felt like it was firmly directed at the misfiring No 10 at the Etihad.
The former Villa man has spoken previously of his desire to have a greater impact, confessing he had more to offer. Sooner or later though he must start producing. City lined up minus Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva - arguably three of their most influential individuals.
Without the trio though the Manchester outfit went in at the break trailing to a Sevilla side who are sat in LaLiga's relegation zone. Grealish was unable, without some of his stellar supporting cast, to influence the contest with his efforts continually rebuffed from the left flank.
The playmaker has had to adapt from a player who was known for running at his opponents to one who combines that natural ability with more of a footballing IQ. The most damning reflection and takeaway for Grealish will have been how much better City were without him.
Now of course some of that will have been tactical tweaks and a stern word from Guardiola, but it still does nothing to further Grealish's case amid rumours he could be offloaded next summer - two years after becoming a British record transfer. The City star was unable to inject the pace his side needed in the final third, instead slowing the ball down whenever he came into possession.
That was a persistent problem for the English champions, which meant they struggled to break down their visitors, who after opening the scoring courtesy of Rafa Mir's header, had something to defend. Julian Alvarez started in Haaland's absence and, whilst enduring a frustrating opening half, continued to run in behind and was rewarded with the crucial second goal.
City will have felt a worrying sense of deja vu at times on Wednesday night and Saturday lunchtime, when they needed a De Bruyne free-kick to see off Leicester City. Last term their lack of a striker was, at times, their undoing and they have lacked that potency in the last two games.
Bringing Bernardo and, then, De Bruyne off the bench during the second-half underlined Guardiola's need to inject more creativity and flair into the contest. The Belgian needed just minutes to produce a stellar pass which Alvarez had been begging for all night as City completed their comeback after Rico Lewis had hammered home their equaliser on 52 minutes before Riyad Mahrez made the game safe late on.
It does only serve to further the debate on how City would deal without the prolific striker they signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer. It is fair to say, with or without Haaland, they'd still be the most impressive outfit in England, and possibly Europe, but the ease with which they score goals and win games would certainly shift.
