Jack Grealish admits both he and Riyad Mahrez thought Kepa was going to intercept Man City’s winner

Jack Grealish revealed that both he and Riyad Mahrez thought Kepa Arrizabalaga would get a handball through his cross that led to the Algerian’s first goal.

Mahrez scored the only goal of the game as City recorded a third successive win at Stamford Bridge, although he needed several substitutions to finally prevail in the game, with Grealish replacing the remembered Phil Foden.

And two of those changes, Grealish and Mahrez, combined for the opener, which gave Manchester City the all-important three points against an injury-stricken Chelsea early in the game.

Riyad Mahrez scored from Jack Grealish’s cross three minutes after the pair’s introduction.

Kepa Arrizabalaga was unable to cut the ball despite seeming capable of intercepting the cross

And the England star was quick to reveal his surprise that Spain international Kepa refrained from cutting his ball in the six-yard box.

“The manager told me, when you come in, be aggressive and attack (Cesar) Azpilicueta,” Grealish told Sky Sports. ‘Stay tall and wide.

“I was talking to Riyad, and he thought the goalie would get it at some point. And I also.

Grealish told Sky Sports that he and Mahrez were expecting an intervention from Kepa.

“When I crossed it, I was thinking that Erling (Haaland) has to be somewhere, I’m just hitting space. And I asked him ‘where were you’ and he told me that he retired’.

Grealish has three assists for City in 2022-23

Grealish was dropped from the starting XI in favor of compatriot Foden, and increased the pressure on Pep Guardiola to play against fan-favourite Chelsea.

However, Foden was unable to influence play and the goal came three minutes into the 27-year-old’s introduction on Thursday night.

After arriving at the Etihad in the summer of 2021, Grealish has struggled to reach the same heights he regularly achieved for former club Aston Villa before his British record £100m move to the Etihad.

He has now recorded three assists in the Premier League in 2022-23, scoring once as City sit second in the table.

Mahrez’s finish at the far post was just the sixth of the season in all competitions for City.

And the 27-year-old left winger told Sky viewers about his close relationship with striker Mahrez, admitting it was the Algerian who really told him he had to come on at Stamford Bridge.

“I’m very close to Riyadh and we were warming up together and we were saying, ‘I’d love to come here,’ because the game was open,” Grealish added.

‘The manager told Riyad to go warm up, he didn’t actually tell me to warm up! I thought, I’m going to warm up here even if I don’t come.

‘The next thing I knew, Riyad was like, “Jack! Come on, let’s go!” I was like “Buzzing, see you later.”

Grealish was quick to reveal that it was, in fact, Mahrez who told him that he was being replaced in