Rayan Cherki is an extraordinary talent, says Pep Guardiola after Manchester City win over Chelsea | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola waxed lyrical about Rayan Cherki after the midfielder provided two assists in Sunday’s 3-0 win over Chelsea.

City took full advantage of Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday as goals from Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and Jeremy Doku helped the sky Blues cut the deficit to the Gunners to six points ahead of next weekend’s clash with Mikel Arteta‘s men.

Chelsea kept Guardiola’s side at bay in an evenly poised first-half at Stamford Bridge but Cherki’s magical cross on 51 minutes was met by a towering header from man-of-the-moment O’Reilly, who scored his seventh goal for his boyhood club in 2026 to break the deadlock in front of the away end.

Guehi made it two after some intricate play from Cherki following a corner taken short as the January signing smashed him in striker’s fashion to give the visitors some breathing room before Doku dispossessed Moises Caicedo close to the Chelsea box and made it three.

We’ll bring the ball to you, says Guardiola to Cherki in praise of performance vs Chelsea

Cherki ran the show in attack for Manchester City in a must-win game down south on Sunday and maintained his excellent run of form, with the Blues recording a third straight win following recent triumphs over Arsenal and Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final and FA Cup quarter-final either side of the recent international break.

“Rayan Cherki is an extraordinary talent,” said Guardiola on City’s £34 million signing from Lyon in his post-match press conference.

“The problem from Rayan, and we talk a lot, is sometimes he plays in a position close to (Gianluigi) Donnarumma. Your talent has to be in the final third!

“How good you are; winning games, assists, things that nobody can see, not even from the outside – so be there! Be close to (Erling) Haaland, the wingers, make your quality there, we’ll bring the ball to you. It’s not necessary to come down.”

Cherki’s Man City season in numbers

The France international has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium, seamlessly integrating into Guardiola’s ranks and assuming the role of architect-in-chief after the notable departure of Kevin De Bruyne last summer. He ranks second in the assists chart in the Premier League this term (10), behind Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (16).

Cherki has amassed nine goals and 13 assists in 2,317 minutes across 43 appearances in all competitions since joining from Lyon, establishing himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for the large part – although he has been taken out of the starting XI here and there by Guardiola.

The Manchester City manager has often been caught on camera giving a talking to, to Cherki, between games, often when the playmaker, whom Guardiola described as a ‘free soul’ in the days leading to Sunday’s win at Chelsea, has taken his liberties in possession or not followed the game plan to a tee.

City remain in a period of transition and are expected to revamp their squad further in the summer, with director of football Hugo Viana expected to add a world-class midfielder amid interest in Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.