JACK IN BOX HAS TO FIND HIS WAY OUT

MANCHESTER CITY held a three-goal advantage and there were only three minutes of standard time remaining before Pep Guardiola decided to send Jack Grealish into the game against Crystal Palace.

- BY ANDY DUNN

But there was still time for Grealish to provide another snap-shot of his struggles, hesitating when presented with a first-time shooting chance and making a hash of an attempted fancy assist.

In the grand scheme of things, of course, it did not matter a jot. The job was done for City.

And if Grealish was not in prime form for his brief appear-ance, who could blame him?

It was the 12th time Grealish had been used as a Premier League substitute this season and only once in those appearances has he been sent on earlier than the 71st minute.

He has started only seven Premier League games. The last three of those have come across a period in excess of five months.

In the Premier League this season, he has been an unused substitute eight times.