‘It’s nice when Pep defends me’ – Grealish thanks Guardiola after goalscoring performance

Jack Grealish has admitted he hasn’t been scoring or assisting enough for Manchester City but is aiming to change that as he paid tribute to Pep Guardiola for giving him another chance against Wolves after a poor midweek display.

Grealish came in for criticism after a poor display in the Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday but was defended in the aftermath by manager Pep Guardiola. The Blues boss stuck by the playmaker for the trip to Wolves and was instantly rewarded.

The England international grabbed his first goal of the season inside the opening minute to set City on the road to victory at Molineux.

He was in excellent form throughout the game, weaving around defenders and attacking the goal at every opportunity. His impact also left Wolves a man down for almost an hour after defender Nathan Collins’ reckless waist-high challenge on him in the first half.

The England international admitted he was not at his best and said that he could do better.

He told BT Sport: “It was a long time coming and nice to get off the mark. Rightly so people have been asking questions, I should be scoring more and getting more assists.

“I am always going to have people talking about me with the money that was spent on me, but all my career I haven’t scored enough goals. I do want to add that to my game.

“It is nice when Pep defends me. He has been brilliant with me. I probably have to thank him because he gave me the opportunity today after my performance on Wednesday because it probably wasn’t the best. I am thankful to him.”