Haaland and Cherki score doubles as Manchester City defeat Crystal Palace 4-1

Haaland and Cherki lead attacking surge

Manchester City secured a 4-1 victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Friday evening, maintaining a perfect start to their Premier League campaign under manager Enzo Maresca. Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute, rising above the Palace defence to loop a header over goalkeeper Dean Henderson following a cross from Antoine Semenyo. The strike marked Haaland's sixth consecutive league appearance scoring against the south London club and his first goal since adopting a close-cropped hairstyle. City registered six shots on target during the opening 45 minutes, their highest total in a Premier League first half since May 2024. Henderson kept the hosts within touching distance before the interval by making saves against Elliot Anderson, Semenyo, and Rayan Cherki after Anderson and Haaland had shots blocked in an early goalmouth scramble.

Second-half flurry and Palace response

The contest opened up rapidly after the interval as Cherki doubled City's advantage through individual footwork. The 23-year-old French playmaker, who provided two assists off the bench against Bournemouth last weekend, dribbled past Palace defenders before slotting a finish with the outside of his left foot. Palace responded almost immediately when a free kick from Yeremy Pino struck the woodwork and bounced into the net off goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for an own goal. Within five minutes of that reply, Cherki restored City's two-goal cushion when his shot from the edge of the penalty area took a deflection past Henderson. Haaland rounded off the scoring in the closing stages, converting a drilled left-footed strike after being played through by substitute Phil Foden.

Maresca adjusts tactics and introduces Bouaddi

Maresca altered his tactical setup from the opening weekend win against Bournemouth, moving Marc Guehi back into central defence against his former club alongside Ruben Dias. Elliot Anderson served as the sole midfield pivot, while Nico O'Reilly pushed higher up the pitch in a 4-1-4-1 formation and Josko Gvardiol inverted from left-back. The result offered stability following the summer departures of Rodri and Bernardo Silva, with the club continuing to pursue Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline. Maresca also handed a late debut to 18-year-old Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who joined City from Lille earlier in the week for a fee of £86 million ($116 million) after playing at the World Cup.

Palace struggle under Sage after second defeat

Crystal Palace remain without a point after two Premier League fixtures under new manager Pierre Sage, who replaced Oliver Glasner during the close season. The home side created three scoring chances in the opening five minutes but failed to capitalise on opportunities throughout the evening. First-half headers from Chris Richards and Tyrick Mitchell missed the target, while Jorgen Strand Larsen failed to convert another chance before being substituted. Eddie Nketiah also saw an effort saved by Donnarumma early in the second half. Sage introduced Evann Guessand, Gozo, Dwight McNeil, Axel Disasi, and Oscar Mingueza from the bench during the second half, yet Palace could not recover following their opening-round 2-0 defeat against Everton.