Crystal Palace 1-4 Manchester City: Sensational Cherki sends Maresca’s City top of the Premier League | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca continued his perfect start to his debut league campaign as Manchester City manager, with the Sky Blues running riot away from home at Selhurst Park.

Following on from a late victory on the opening day of the Premier League season against Bournemouth, Manchester City continued their winning form in the Premier League under the new management of Enzo Maresca as a brace from both Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki proved to be the killer blow for a struggling Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Despite their fiery start to the game, Crystal Palace couldn’t meet the standards and quality of a relentless Man City in their first home game of the season, which now sees them remain pointless and rock bottom of the Premier League.

As it happened

The hosts started well as Eddie Nketiah beat his man and tested Gianluigi Donnarumma at the near post inside the first two minutes, forcing a corner, while Daichi Kamada’s strike from the edge of the box was blocked, leading to Palace’s second corner in as many minutes.

Despite Crystal Palace’s energetic start, it was Manchester City who came closest in the first ten minutes, when Elliot Anderson’s strike was saved, and Erling Haaland’s rebound somehow failed to find the back of the net as Palace defended well and cleared their lines.

Manchester City began to take control of the game and broke the deadlock in the 16th minute as Antoine Semenyo’s inviting looping cross found Erling Haaland inside the 18-yard box, and the Norwegian leapt highest to head home into the far corner over Dean Henderson, giving Enzo Maresca’s side an early lead at Selhurst Park.

City continued building momentum after taking an early lead, controlling possession with some neat progressive play, and they really should have been two goals to the good inside the first 22 minutes as the ball fell to a wide-open Phil Foden inside the box, but the attacker’s effort flew well over the bar from close range.

With the travelling support in fine voice, Rayan Cherki’s overlapping run down the right-hand side was found neatly by Nico O’Riley, and the Frenchman fizzed a ball across the box only for Phil Foden to miscue his header in what was a golden opportunity to double City’s lead before the half-hour mark.

After sustaining a lengthy period of pressure from Man City, Pierre Sage’s side seemed to have weathered the City storm come the 33rd minute as a rapid flurry of chances for the home side resulted in a goal-scoring opportunity for Tyrick Mitchell from point-blank range, but he glanced his headed effort just wide of the post.

Following one minute of injury time, the first half came to its conclusion with the visiting side heading into the break with a deserved single-goal lead.

Crystal Palace registered the first big chance early in the second half, and they nearly drew level as Mitchell found Nketiah in the 48th minute, charging into the penalty area from the left flank, but Nketiah’s first-time effort was fired past Donnarumma and just wide of the far post.

Despite the hosts nearly levelling the scoreline, it didn’t take long in the second half for Manchester City to double their advantage as Foden broke forward into the penalty area and slipped through Cherki, whose quick feet saw him dance through the final line of Crystal Palace’s defence and calmly roll the ball past Henderson and into the back of the net.

Yeremy Pino had a nearly instant response to City’s second goal with a fantastic free-kick strike that bounced off the bar and cannoned onto the back of Donnarumma and into the Man City net for Sage’s side’s first goal of the campaign and to halve the deficit with over thirty minutes yet to play in South London.

In an eventful couple of minutes, it wasn’t long until City had their third goal of the evening as Rayan Cherki found the back of the net once again for Maresca’s Man City with a sublime effort from outside the box that took a slight deflection from Chris Richards, but it was enough to help the ball past a full-stretched Dean Henderson and make it 3-1 to the visitors in the 59th minute.

Following the goal, Manchester City began to once again dominate possession and take the ‘sting’ out of the game, and in the 84th minute Foden managed his second assist of the night as he dribbled towards the Crystal Palace defence before laying the ball off to the talisman Haaland, who let the ball roll across his body onto his left foot before smashing it into the roof of the net to make it 4-1 with his second goal of the night and of the season so far.

Haaland’s brace proved to be the final act of the night as City continued to dominate proceedings before the full-time whistle blew in the 95th minute, with Manchester City claiming an impressive 4-1 victory away from home that sends Maresca’s side top of the league for now.