Manchester City cruised to victory at Crystal Palace: Haaland and Cherki score twice each for a perfect Premier League start
Manchester City continued their winning start to the new Premier League season with a convincing 4:1 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in London. Enzo Maresca's side recorded their second victory in the opening two league rounds, with Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki emerging as the main protagonists of the evening by scoring two goals each. Haaland opened the scoring in the 17th minute, Cherki effectively decided the contest at the start of the second half with two goals just a few minutes apart, while Palace briefly restored uncertainty after a Yeremy Pino free kick. That attempt, after rebounding off the crossbar and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, was officially recorded as an own goal by the Italian goalkeeper. Haaland added his second goal late on to make the final score 4:1 and confirm a victory that gives City a maximum six points after two rounds.
The match was played on Friday, 28 August 2026, as the opening fixture of the second round of the Premier League, meaning Manchester City temporarily moved to the top of the table after the final whistle. According to the official report from the Manchester club, Maresca's team established control of the match after some early difficulties, created a series of chances and punished the hosts particularly effectively in the second half. Crystal Palace, who opened the season with a 2:0 defeat away to Everton, therefore remained without a point after their first two league appearances. An additional concern for Pierre Sage's side is that they have conceded six goals in two matches, although against City they showed in certain phases that they can cause problems for one of the strongest teams in the league. The final score nevertheless clearly reflects the difference in finishing and the range of attacking solutions.
Palace started boldly, but Haaland punished the first major weakness
Crystal Palace did not approach the match defensively. According to the hosts' club report, Eddie Nketiah forced Donnarumma into action as early as the second minute after a pass from Adam Wharton, while a few minutes later City responded through Elliot Anderson, whose shot was stopped by Dean Henderson. The hosts tried to use the energy of Selhurst Park and move the ball quickly towards the forwards, while City did not look completely secure in their pressing during the opening minutes. Maresca admitted after the match that his team did not press in the right way in the early stages and that the coaching staff had to adjust the shape without the ball. After that correction, the visitors increasingly began to find space between Palace's lines and impose their rhythm.
The opening goal arrived in the 17th minute. Antoine Semenyo delivered an accurate cross, and Haaland headed the ball over Henderson to give City the lead. It was the Norwegian striker's first league goal of the 2026/27 season, after he had failed to find the net in the dramatic 2:1 victory over Bournemouth in the opening round. Manchester City's official report points out that the visitors could have increased their advantage before the break, while Palace also had their chances, including Tyrick Mitchell's miss after a cross to the far post. Jørgen Strand Larsen was also close to scoring with a header from a set piece, but the ball did not end up in the net.
City therefore went into half-time with a narrow lead, although it was already clear that Palace were struggling to control the movement of the visitors' attacking players. Phil Foden was finding space between midfield and defence, Semenyo was stretching the play, and Cherki was receiving the ball increasingly often in areas from which he could attack the final line. The hosts, on the other hand, remained dangerous whenever Wharton or Daichi Kamada managed to move the ball quickly towards Nketiah, Pino and Strand Larsen. That balance remained until the beginning of the second half, when the character of the match changed in the space of just a few minutes.
Cherki turned a tight match into a demonstration of individual quality in five minutes
Rayan Cherki scored his first goal in the 54th minute, opening the most dynamic period of the match. Following a City attack, the Frenchman received the ball in the final third, went past several home players and calmly finished to make it 2:0. Manchester City described the move in their official report as one of the key moments of the evening, while Maresca especially praised Cherki's overall performance after the match, not just his goals. The coach stressed that he also liked his work without the ball and the team's willingness to match the opponent's intensity, which he considered just as important as their technical quality in possession.
Palace, however, did not give up. Just two minutes later, Pino struck the frame of the goal from a free kick from around 25 metres, and the ball then rebounded off Donnarumma and into the net. The official record credited the goal as an own goal by City's goalkeeper in the 56th minute. The hosts therefore reduced the deficit to 2:1 and briefly took the match in a more open direction, but the visitors' response was almost immediate. In the 59th minute Cherki threatened again from the edge of the penalty area, and his shot finished beyond Henderson for 3:1.
That five-minute sequence best demonstrated why Cherki was the central figure of the evening. In the opening league match of the season against Bournemouth, he came off the bench and assisted both of City's late goals in the 2:1 comeback. At Selhurst Park, Maresca placed him in the starting line-up, and the Frenchman responded with two goals. After two league appearances, he has therefore already reached four direct goal contributions, with two assists and two goals. For a team undergoing changes following Pep Guardiola's departure, such a start from the French creator carries additional importance because it gives City another player capable of deciding a match on his own in the final third.
Haaland finished the job, City showed new depth
After the third goal, Manchester City were able to control the tempo without needing to take risks, but they continued to look for space for a fourth. Late in the match, Foden drove forward through the middle, and the move ended with Haaland scoring in the 84th minute. The Norwegian beat Henderson with a powerful finish to make the final score 4:1. After two matches of the new league season, he therefore has two goals, both scored in London against Palace.
City's official report also noted several details showing how much the squad is changing at the start of Maresca's tenure. Mateo Kovačić made his 100th appearance for Manchester City, while Ryan McAidoo and Kaden Braithwaite received their first Premier League minutes of the season, and Ayyoub Bouaddi made his club debut less than 48 hours after arriving. Such decisions were not decisive for the outcome, but they show that the new coach is already trying to distribute minutes and involve younger players at an early stage of the season. Alongside experienced leaders such as Haaland, Foden, Rúben Dias and Donnarumma, City are simultaneously developing a new group of players expected to carry a greater share of responsibility in the seasons ahead.
After the match, Maresca assessed his team's overall performance as good and emphasised the importance of their work without the ball. According to him, City took control after correcting their initial pressing, and he was particularly pleased with the players' willingness to run and make defensive sacrifices. That comment fits what was visible on the pitch: City did not dominate only through long spells of possession, but also quickly closed down space for Palace after losing the ball. When the hosts were unable to find Nketiah or the wide players with their first or second attacking action, their moves often broke down before reaching a dangerous area.
Maresca's era began with two victories, but in very different matches
Manchester City beat Bournemouth 2:1 at the Etihad in the opening round on 23 August, despite trailing until the 84th minute. Marc Guéhi equalised following Cherki's delivery from a corner, and Joško Gvardiol scored the winning goal in stoppage time after another Cherki assist. Six days later, City achieved a much more convincing victory in London. The two matches therefore offer different but complementary signals: against Bournemouth the team showed the ability to produce a late comeback, while against Palace they demonstrated that, once control is established, they can quickly punish an opponent with a series of goals.
For Maresca, this is an important start after taking over the team from Guardiola. Manchester City officially appointed the Italian coach at the end of June 2026 and signed him to a three-year contract running until the summer of 2029. Maresca knows the club's system well because he previously coached City's development team and was also part of Guardiola's coaching staff in the 2022/23 season, when the club won the treble. Before returning to Manchester, his senior managerial career included Leicester City and Chelsea. His arrival marked the beginning of the period after a decade of Guardiola's influence, which is why every early match is also viewed as an indicator of the direction in which the team's style of play will develop.
Maresca did not take over a completely unchanged squad. City went through personnel changes during the summer, and the new coach has been combining experienced players with new names and young footballers in his first matches. Against Palace, the starting line-up included, among others, Elliot Anderson, Marc Guéhi, Nico O'Reilly, Antoine Semenyo and Cherki, alongside established key players such as Dias, Foden and Haaland. Within that structure, Cherki's freedom between the lines and Haaland's role as the finishing striker particularly stand out. If their production continues, City could develop an attacking axis combining creativity in tight spaces with one of the most reliable finishers in European football.
Palace are still searching for stability under Sage
Crystal Palace also entered the new season with a new coach. On 15 June 2026, the club appointed Frenchman Pierre Sage, who succeeded Oliver Glasner. The first two league matches did not bring any points: Everton beat Palace 2:0 in the opening round, while City won 4:1 at Selhurst Park. Nevertheless, the result against City does not tell the whole story of the hosts' performance because Palace had some strong phases, particularly in the first half and immediately after Pino's goal. Nketiah tested Donnarumma early, Mitchell had a good headed opportunity, and on several occasions the hosts managed to get beyond City's first wave of pressure.
The problem was that Palace could not keep the match balanced for long enough. After going 0:1 down, the hosts still had a realistic chance of getting back into the game, but Cherki's individual quality quickly widened the gap early in the second half. Even after reducing the deficit to 2:1, City needed only three minutes to restore their two-goal advantage. In such situations, a team still adapting to a new coach has to manage transitional phases and the emotional rhythm of the match better. Palace showed that they can reach dangerous areas, but not that they can limit the number of high-quality City entries into the final third for long enough.
Sage made three changes to the starting line-up compared with the defeat at Everton, with Pino and Strand Larsen returning to the team, while Takehiro Tomiyasu also started the match. Axel Disasi and Óscar Mingueza made their debuts in the second half. Such a number of new or newly positioned players further confirms that Palace are still building a new structure. The next league match against Fulham on 5 September will therefore be important not only in terms of securing the first points but also for assessing how much the team can stabilise after a difficult opening schedule.
Cherki is becoming one of the main stories of the Premier League's opening weeks
Although Haaland once again underlined his importance with two goals, the match at Selhurst Park will be remembered especially for Cherki. After two assists in the opening round, he has now added two goals, while Maresca publicly praised the completeness of his performance. Cherki himself said after the match that he was pleased with the victory and that City, following a great era under Guardiola, are now beginning a new story. In the context of a season that has only just begun, such statements should not be turned into major conclusions, but his contribution gives City early continuity at a time when a change of coach and squad structure might otherwise have produced greater fluctuations.
His value is not limited to his finishing. Across two matches he has been involved in different types of goals: with an assist from a set piece, a pass from open play, as well as an individual run and a long-range shot. This allows City to attack in several different ways and reduces their dependence on a single pattern for creating chances for Haaland. Foden and Semenyo additionally provide movement between and alongside the lines, making it difficult for opposing defences to focus all their attention on the Norwegian centre-forward. Against Palace, it was precisely that variety that proved decisive when the hosts attempted to close the central areas.
Manchester City now face a home match against newly promoted Coventry City on 5 September, while Crystal Palace visit Fulham on the same day. Until then, Maresca will have time to work further on the details of the pressing that caused problems during the opening ten minutes in London, as well as on how to use Cherki even more effectively in areas close to Haaland. Two victories from two matches cannot by themselves define a 38-round season, but City have already displayed two important characteristics: the ability to come from behind when the score is going against them and the ability to turn a tight match into a convincing victory once they take control.
At Selhurst Park, those qualities combined with the individual class of the two most prominent attacking players. Haaland opened and closed the scoring, Cherki changed the direction of the match during its central phase, and City left London with six points from the first two rounds. For Maresca, it is an ideal results-based start to his Premier League tenure. For Palace, by contrast, the opening is a warning that strong phases of play must be accompanied by a considerably firmer defence if the team are to prevent matches against the highest-quality opponents from slipping away in short periods of time.
Sources:
- Manchester City – official report of the Crystal Palace – Manchester City 1:4 match, scorers, minutes, line-ups, statements and next match (link)
- Crystal Palace – official match report, chronology of chances and the hosts' line-up (link)
- Manchester City – report from the 2:1 victory over Bournemouth in the opening round and Cherki's two assists (link)
- Manchester City – official announcement of Enzo Maresca's appointment and his three-year contract (link)
- Crystal Palace – official announcement of Pierre Sage's appointment as coach (link)
- Premier League – official schedule for the second round and confirmation of the Crystal Palace – Manchester City fixture on 28 August 2026 (link)
- Premier League – confirmation of Everton's 2:0 victory over Crystal Palace in the opening round (link)