What a display from the Irish English Villa man
It was just Jack Grealish’s fifth start for Aston Villa and it was in an FA Cup semi-final. At Wembley. Against Liverpool.
Game’s don’t come much bigger than that, but the 19-year-old was totally unfazed producing a display that had the football world cooing. Here’s how his day panned out….
Peep! Game kicks off. Grealish’s hair is perfect.
2mins: Jack likes the look of his match-up against novice full-back Emre Can, winning a free-kick from the German. England fans love a lad who’s not afraid of the Germans.
8mins: A determined run into the penalty area comes to a halt with a firm Skrtel challenge that earns Villa a corner.
14mins: Grealish’s hair becomes a thing.
https://twitter.com/ThatConnArtist/status/589791824363057152
For as long as he could remember, Jack Grealish wanted to be a gangster … pic.twitter.com/SnYehcHzz8
— B (@NTXZO) April 19, 2015
20mins: With Villa well on top, Grealish finding nice pockets of space to operate in.
30mins: Coutinho’s deflected effort gives Liverpool the lead, Grealish’s hair has drifted out of the game. Maybe he’s booking flights to Dublin.
36mins: Grealish receives the ball from Fabian Delph and surges forward, feeding Delph again and the England man centres for Christian Benteke to equalise.
39mins: Takes ball down with a superb first touch but is dispossessed by Lovren. Twitter is falling love as Grealish closes in on first England call-up.
Jack Grealish going straight from the Ireland U-21's to the England first team after this game.
— Dan Byrne (@DanByrne89) April 19, 2015
Jack Grealish born in Birmingham played for Ireland at u21s, get him an England call up! Keep our Thomas Muller socks-a-like for the Lions.
— Max Meltzer (@MaxMeltzer) April 19, 2015
Jack Grealish is going to declare for England isn't he
— Andrew Kinsella (@Kinsella272727) April 19, 2015
Feel like we are all attending Jack Grealish's Bar Mitzvah #TodayHeBecomesAMan
— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) April 19, 2015
44mins: More praise from Michael Owen for Grealish. Not for the first time, Shut Up Michael.
Half-time: The lads on BT Sport seem to have ignored Grealish’s contributions, Maybe he can fly under the radar after all.
Or not.
Villa the better side in the first half. Grealish looks a great talent, Benteke and Delph excellent.
— Didi Hamann (@DietmarHamann) April 19, 2015
Grealish and Benteke the stand out performers of the first half. Liverpool yet to settle on a system that suits the personnel available.
— Tony Barrett (@TonyBarrett) April 19, 2015
Jack Grealish is one of those rare footballers who has the ability to do things in his own sweet time
— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) April 19, 2015
Grealish enjoying his Wembley experience so far much more than Gerrard who now gone deep. A third tactical change by LFC. Now 4-1-4-1
— Matt Dickinson (@DickinsonTimes) April 19, 2015
https://twitter.com/giggs_boson/status/589800777268473856
48mins: Does Emre Can for pace again, Ian Darke emphasises Grealish’s Birmingham upbringing while Owen purrs over how ‘easy on the eye’ he is as he has visions of Grealish tearing up Euro 2016.
54mins: More quality from Grealish, a quality through-ball finding Fabian Delph who strokes the ball past Simon Mignolet to give Villa a 2-1 lead. The question Grealish needs to ask himself, though, is how he would ever get in the England team with Delph in this sort of form?
60mins: Fouled by Alberto Moreno. Writhes around portraying suitable agony before looking towards referee. More proof he’ll be a fine pro. Here’s that goal:
61mins: Gives to Benteke and tells him where to return the ball but is tackled on the edge of the penalty area. LEADERSHIP.
So far, Jack Grealish looks wonderfully unfazed by Wembley & the occasion. Good touch, adventure, promise. Still learning, only 19. #avfc
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) April 19, 2015
Jack Grealish playing in a relaxed world of his own at the moment. Has anyone told him this is an FA Cup semi-final? Excellent & so composed
— Phil McNulty (@philmcnulty) April 19, 2015
71mins: Still full of running and leading the counter attack. ENGINE.
https://twitter.com/tylrwllsn/status/589815090829996032
80mins: Feeds Benteke after another run at the Liverpool defence, but the ball pushes the Belgian wide and the chance goes begging.
82mins: Grealish’s day comes to an end as Joe Cole comes on. ‘He can play all right,’ says Owen after a brief discussion of the youngster’s choice of boy’s shinpads. Fleeting mention of Ireland Under-21 appearances. A great performance from England/Ireland’s next hero.
https://twitter.com/giggs_boson/status/589816319748497409
Full time: Villa win 2-1. The real question now is whether Ireland can hold him as England are bound to come calling.
If Jack Grealish ends up playing for England it will be the most careless use of shamrock emojis the world has ever known
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) April 19, 2015
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