Crystal Palace 1-4 Manchester City: Donnarumma 56 o.g.; Haaland 17, 84; Cherki 54, 59
Rayan Cherki can be the difference maker for Enzo Maresca and Manchester City this season. In a summer when several of the old Guardiola cohort have departed, he has shown he could be the one who steps up into that elite team-creator role.
After coming off the bench to provide two assists against Bournemouth, Cherki was given a starting role here by Maresca and responded with two goals, taking his Premier League goal contributions for the club to 20 since joining City last season.
If he continues to show this level of quality on a consistent basis, then Maresca’s impossible task of replacing Guardiola might appear more like the stroll in a green park City enjoyed here against Crystal Palace.
The victory gives Maresca two wins from his first two league matches. City had needed a late winner against Bournemouth last weekend but looked considerably more convincing here, with Cherki providing the creativity Palace could not contain. Erling Haaland’s brace bookended the tie.
Two out of two ✅✅ pic.twitter.com/RgXwE8u3Tc
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 28, 2026
For Pierre Sage, the difficult start to his Palace tenure continues, after losing 2-0 at Everton on opening day. Here his side showed enough attacking intent to trouble City, but ultimately they were blown away in the second half.
It was Palace who threatened more in the early stages and created openings through Adam Wharton and Eddie Nketiah, but City gradually imposed themselves.
Elliot Anderson tested Dean Henderson from long range, before Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Antoine Semenyo’s calm cross from the left picked out the Norwegian, who produced a looping header over Henderson.
Sage’s side continued to pressure City after falling behind. Wharton pulled the strings in midfield and supplied a cross that Tyrick Mitchell headed agonisingly wide, before Nketiah came close in the second half.
But Cherki soon changed the game. The winger collected possession after City forced Palace into a turnover, and drove into the penalty area from the left. He wove his way through a crowded defence before sliding the ball gently past Henderson.
Palace responded almost immediately through Yeremy Pino, whose emphatic free-kick pounded on the post and bounced in off Donnarumma to halve City’s lead.
Yet three minutes later there was Cherki again, luxuriating in self-confidence. He drove towards Palace’s box unchecked, finding space on the right and then firing hard past Henderson with a slight deflection off Chris Richards.
Haaland then put the result beyond doubt with six minutes remaining, Phil Foden’s diagonal ball giving the striker space to lash into the near post.
