Rayan Cherki delivered a masterclass with two goals and Erling Haaland also scored twice as Manchester City cruised to a 4-1 victory at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday. The win lifted City to six points from two matches, while Palace remained without a point under new manager Pierre Sage.
Cherki's brilliance proves decisive
Cherki, who came off the bench to spark City's fightback with two assists against Bournemouth last week, was even better at Selhurst Park. The Frenchman's first goal came in the 54th minute after a mazy run from the left, leaving several Palace defenders trailing before he prodded the ball home with the outside of his left foot. His second arrived five minutes later, as he found space on the right and thrashed a shot past Dean Henderson, who was deceived by a slight deflection off Chris Richards.
"All who attend the Rayan Cherki show know the ticket comes with a guarantee of entertainment," noted the match report. Enzo Maresca, City's manager, has given Cherki the freedom to express himself, and the former Lyon player has responded with a fine start to his second year in English football.
Haaland doubles up as City take control
City opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Antoine Semenyo crossed from the left and Haaland, who has now scored in all six of his league appearances against Palace, looped a clever header over Henderson. The Norwegian wrapped up the victory with a fourth goal late on, after Phil Foden released him and he bashed the ball past the Palace goalkeeper.
Palace had started brightly, with Adam Wharton sweeping a ball through for Eddie Nketiah to test Gianluigi Donnarumma in the second minute, and Daichi Kamada having a shot deflected over. But they were undone by City's quality after the break. Yéremy Pino pulled one back with a free-kick that hit the woodwork and bounced in off Donnarumma for an own goal, but it proved only a consolation.
Maresca's midfield reshuffle and transfer plans
Maresca, known for his obsessive positional control, shuffled his pack again. The experiment with Marc Guéhi in midfield was discontinued, allowing him to slot into central defence against his old side. Elliot Anderson was the sole pivot, Nico O'Reilly pushed high in a 4-1-4-1 system, and Josko Gvardiol inverted from left-back.
City are working with an incomplete midfield following the exits of Rodri and Bernardo Silva. Ayyoub Bouaddi has arrived from Lille for £86m, an eye-catching fee for an 18-year-old after his exploits for Morocco at the World Cup, and he came on for his debut against Palace. Maresca is reportedly keen to sign Enzo Fernández from Chelsea before Tuesday's deadline, though City are not short on midfield options.
Palace's uncertain summer and defensive frailties
Palace have had an uncertain summer, with key faces gone and others missing. Jørgen Strand Larsen led the line in the absence of the wantaway Jean-Philippe Mateta, who may be out for four weeks. Ismaïla Sarr, keen to join Galatasaray, was also unavailable, and Daniel Muñoz was on the bench amid interest from Nottingham Forest. The defence has lost Maxence Lacroix, sold to Chelsea, and City found gaps before and after Haaland's opener.
Sage stuck with Oliver Glasner's 3-4-2-1 formation, and Palace were adventurous when they had the ball, but they could not match City's cutting edge. The defeat leaves Palace with zero points from their first two games under Sage, while City have moved on from their Community Shield debacle and look ready to challenge for the title again.
