Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki put in a masterful second-half performance against Crystal Palace, netting two goals as his side cantered to a 4-1 away win that will have eased the minds of many supporters after an unconvincing opening-day win against Bournemouth last week.
Cherki provided the assists for both goals as City came back from a goal down to win their opener at home, but on Friday he and Erling Haaland both opened their accounts for the new league campaign, with the pair grabbing two goals each in an easy win for the visitors.
Haaland opened the scoring in the first half with a header, but it was Cherki’s brace that grabbed the eye as he displayed the full range of skills that prompted City to pay a reputed €40 million to Olympique Lyonnais for his services two years ago.
His first goal showcased his speed as he skipped through the massed ranks of the Palace defence before slipping a left-footed shot past Dean Henderson that took almost everyone in the stadium by surprise.
After Palace reduced the deficit, Cherki struck again almost immediately to extinguish any hopes of a comeback and seal City’s second consecutive league win of the season. Haaland then added a late fourth, but the goal did little to soften Cherki’s critical assessment of his own efforts.
“My performance is so-so. In the first half, we didn’t find the space, I played bad. I need to show them I want to play, I want to score. Next time I want to give the ball around more,” he said bluntly.
It’s unlikely new City manager Enzo Maresca shared that assessment after another match-winning contribution, and Haaland was much more charitable about his side in his post-match comments.
“It’s been a short pre-season. Rayan five weeks ago was at the World Cup. Game by game, we’ll be back, just need a few games,” he said.
“We played well, it’s a new manager but we’ve been playing together, with the addition of a few new players. We know what to do and have to trust the system.”
City may still be shaking off the cobwebs, but as long as Cherki is capable of sparking into life, they will not drop too many points in the opening phase of the new season.
“I’m very happy for the win, see you next week. (Former City coach) Pep (Guardiola leaving) was a big story, we will start another story. We want to prove it and are here for that.”
