Manchester City lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening, and all eyes were on debutant Jack Grealish as he was handed his first start by Pep Guardiola.
Son Heung-Min scored the only goal of the game in the 55th minute when the Korean cut in from the right and curled one into the far corner, with goalkeeper Ederson stood helpless as it appeared Ruben Dias would block the strike.
City were given plenty of possession by Spurs but failed to do a lot with it, which in the end was their biggest downfall.
The expectation of being worth £100m is huge, but it didn’t take long for Grealish to showcase that he wasn’t affected by the pressure.
Just two minutes into the game the 25-year-old picked the ball up in the final third and, in true Grealish-style, weaved past his man before being hacked down on the very edge of the box.
That set the tone for the first half, as he was an ever-present nuisance for the Spurs defence and on the end of some crunching tackles.
Manager Pep Guardiola played Grealish as a left-sided attacking midfielder, with the responsibility of playing as an eight when required to track back too, which was rather frequently as a lot of Spurs’ joy came from counter-attacks.
With international teammate Raheem Sterling playing as a left winger, Grealish was able to double up on right-back Japhet Tanganga and the pair caused the defender a lot of difficulties – though he did deal with a lot of those issues well.
Before the match begun, Grealish revealed the advice he had received from Guardiola, and he certainly took that on board for this fixture.
He said: “I have loads I need to work on. It is always about learning and needing to stay higher. Raheem is really good at that, sometimes I am drawn to the ball and always want to be involved but sometimes that doesn’t always work."
Although given the licence to roam, Grealish looked a matured figure in the match and wasn’t racing all over the pitch to be involved like a young, excitable puppy.
Instead, he kept his width, held his position and opened up a lot of space for himself and his teammates. Whether that was because he is no longer expected to be the heartbeat of the team in the star-studded City side, or he is already learning under one of the best.
In possession, Grealish was the cool, composed playmaker that drew the triple-figure price tag. His presence alone on the ball scared Spurs, there was always the feeling that he could make something happen.
In the second half, Spurs were very much the better team. Compared to the first half where City were dominant, fast-paced and aggressive in possession, Guardiola’s side were the opposite in the final 45 minutes.
There was a lack of movement, a lack of intensity and a lack of will to win. It was not the performance of a team who are favourites to win the league. And as a result, Grealish struggled to make an impact.
Grealish, Sterling and makeshift striker Ferran Torres were, again, the bright sparks for City. They were the only players breaking a sweat, trying to make something happen, wanting to make the difference.
But there was only so much that Grealish could do; for all the neat flicks, cheap fouls won and mazy runs, he couldn’t influence the game as much as he would have wanted. He did manage to get in behind the Spurs defence on one occasion, but he shot straight at Hugo Lloris from a difficult angle.
The arrival of Kevin De Bruyne in the 79th minute allowed Grealish to go out onto the left wing but he wasn't given enough time to make an impact from out there.
He was booked late on for a cheap foul, which he felt very aggrieved about.
