London: Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki produced sensational performances, scoring two goals each as Manchester City defeated Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park to maintain their perfect start to the Premier League season.
Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute, heading home a precise cross from Antoine Semenyo to give Manchester City an early advantage.
City went into the halftime break with a narrow one-goal lead before stepping up their attacking intensity after the restart.
Rayan Cherki doubled City’s advantage in the 54th minute with a brilliant individual effort. Crystal Palace briefly found hope when Yeremy Pino’s free kick struck the woodwork and rebounded into the net off Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the goal recorded as an own goal.
However, City’s response was immediate.
Cherki struck again in the 59th minute, restoring Manchester City’s two-goal advantage and completing an impressive brace.
Erling Haaland then sealed the emphatic victory late in the game, scoring his second goal in the 84th minute after being set up by Phil Foden.
The final whistle confirmed a dominant 4-1 victory for Manchester City, giving the team back-to-back Premier League wins and a perfect six points from their opening two matches.
The victory underlines Manchester City’s strong start under new manager Enzo Maresca, while Haaland and Cherki’s outstanding performances provided an exciting glimpse of City’s attacking potential for the rest of the season.
