MY ACCOUNT
Jack Grealish was reduced to tears after Manchester City’s stunning turnaround against Aston Villa secured the first Premier League title of his career.
An unused substitute at the Etihad Stadium, Grealish watched on from the bench as Pep Guardiola’s men fell 2-0 behind against his former club, who appeared set to hand the crown to Liverpool.
However, City hit back in emphatic fashion with three goals in the space of five minutes – Ilkay Gundogan’s brace sandwiching a Rodri strike – completing a remarkable turnaround and sealing a fourth title in five seasons in a 3-2 victory.
Grealish has endured a tricky first year at the Etihad since making a British-record £100million switch from Villa.
But with a first Premier League triumph under his belt, the England international is confident he can truly kick on next season.
“It’s unbelievable,” he told Sky Sports. “After the third goal went in, I ran onto the pitch and, after that, I ran straight down the tunnel, I was just crying my eyes out.
“We know how good of a side they were, and they showed it today. But we knew with our quality, we can beat anyone.
“I can’t put it into words. When I signed here, people would say to me: ‘what do you actually want to win, the Champions League or Premier League?’ For me, I’ve never won it, so it’s incredible.
“It’s harder [playing at City] than I thought. It’s more difficult than I thought, but I’ve enjoyed it all. It’s been difficult.
“This today, makes up for it, it really does. I know that I can kick on, and I certainly will.”
Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling, who took his personal Premier League winners’ medal tally to four, highlighted the talent and determination within Guardiola’s squad.
“It shows what a talented bunch [of players] we have, and the determination to go year in and year out and try to challenge for the title. It’s an unbelievable achievement,” he said.
“At 1-0, I still thought we could do it. When I saw that second goal go in, it was a real disappointing one. But with the players that we have and still having time on the board, it’s still possible, so what a win!
“Each year, we know how difficult it’s going to be. Liverpool is a great opponent; every year, they push us to the wire, but this is why we can achieve stuff like this.”
