Pep Guardiola’s side did well to take all three points from a tough clash with Brentford on Wednesday night thanks to Phil Foden's first-half goal.
It felt like a significant night in the title race as Chelsea dropped points and Liverpool were beaten by Leicester the previous night, leaving Manchester City eight points clear at the top of the league.
Despite the 1-0 result not looking particularly comfortable on paper, City controlled the game from the off and their display outlined a key difference between themselves and Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp's side drew 3-3 with Brentford earlier in the season, throwing away a 3-2 lead in the final 10 minutes of the game as they failed to see out the win.
While City were never more than one goal ahead of Brentford, their control of the game was superb and one man whose display was key to the result was Jack Grealish.
In MEN Sport’s latest Facebook Live, City is Ours writer Alex Brotherton and football.london’s Brentford writer Uzzi Majid joined Ross Jackson as the trio discussed City’s performance.
Alex started by claiming Grealish’s role at City has changed a lot compared to how he played at Aston Villa, but that the tweak in his play offers City the edge.
AB : "The main thing that he's brought - and we saw this a lot against Brentford - is that he's very safe in possession. Guardiola knew going into the game that Brentford was not going to be an easy place to go.
“They got a 3-3 draw with Liverpool and I thought they were very unlucky to lose 0-1 to Chelsea. In that kind of game, it's key to have a player like Grealish who you know isn't going to make a stupid decision or try a 'Hollywood ball' that doesn't come off and sets Brentford up for a counter-attack.
“He's very good at keeping the ball, drawing fouls, breaking up the play when City are already ahead and they just need to control the tempo and rhythm of the game.
"While he's not been spectacular by any means, I think he's been quite effective when he has played. The recent issues of him and Foden aside, he has had a fairly decent start [to life at City].
“Obviously there's a lot more to come - as City fans we want to see a lot more of him driving into the box and creating chances as he did for Villa and England.
"I think it's been an encouraging start and I think the reaction from certain sections of the media and some fans have been a bit over the top. He certainly hasn't had a bad start.
"It can take time to settle in - it took Rodri, [Joao] Cancelo and [Riyad] Mahrez a while. To be honest, out of all the attacking and outfield signings made under Guardiola, Grealish is probably the one who has adapted the quickest.
"He's probably had a better first four months for City than any of the other signings had. There's a lot more to come.”
What do you think of Jack Grealish's start to life at City? Follow our City Is Ours team - Anil Kandola, Alex Brotherton and Ross Jackson - and football.london's Brentford writer Uzzi Majid on Twitter to join in on the conversation as well and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
