Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki each scored twice as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 4-1 at Selhurst Park on Friday.
Manchester City confirmed the result on its official website on Friday (Aug 28), lifting the visitors to six points from two Premier League matches under manager Enzo Maresca. Kick-off was 3am Singapore time.
Haaland headed City in front in the 17th minute from an Antoine Semenyo cross. Cherki made it 2-0 in the 54th minute, Palace pulled one back two minutes later through a Yeremy Pino free-kick that went in off Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Cherki restored the two-goal lead in the 59th minute. Haaland added the fourth in the 84th minute.
Source: Manchester City official website (mancity.com)
HOW THE GOALS CAME
City arrived in south London on the back of a 2-1 opening-day win over AFC Bournemouth and started slowly. Palace midfielder Adam Wharton released Eddie Nketiah early, and Dean Henderson saved a curling 20-yard shot from Elliot Anderson. The breakthrough arrived when Semenyo floated a cross from the left and Haaland, above Chris Richards, looped a header over Henderson.
Phil Foden then scooped over from inside the box and mistimed a glancing header from a Cherki cross. Palace’s best first-half look came when Wharton’s delivery found Tyrick Mitchell at the back post, and the left-sided defender headed wide.
The second half opened with Cherki’s first. Foden slipped the ball into the Frenchman, who beat several challenges and clipped a finish beyond Henderson with the outside of his boot. Palace answered almost at once. Pino’s 25-yard free-kick beat the wall, struck the bar, and went in off Donnarumma. The Premier League recorded it as an own goal.
Cherki’s second followed in the 59th minute, a strike from just outside the box that deflected off Richards and past Henderson. Haaland completed his brace late, finishing from Foden’s pass after Marc Guehi intercepted a Richards ball. Guehi, back at the ground where he captained Palace, started in central defence for City.
Source: Manchester City official website (mancity.com)
WHAT MARESCA AND THE PLAYERS SAID
“His performance for me was very good, not just the two goals but the way he worked off the ball,” said Mr Maresca of Cherki. “When Palace had the ball, he was in charge of Adam Wharton. I think his game was a complete game on the ball and off the ball.”
Mr Maresca added that City were in control after an awkward opening. “We struggled for the first five or ten mins because we were pressing in the wrong way and then we adjusted something. We scored four and could probably have scored more.”
“It’s my instinct. I’m very happy for the win today,” said Cherki. “My performance was so and so, because in the first half we couldn’t find the space. Today I didn’t give a lot of balls for him. The next time I want to give Erling a lot of balls.”
“It’s a right step in the right direction from everyone. Elliot was incredible. We have to build on this,” said Haaland. “We know what to do and need to trust the system and trust Enzo in what he wants us to do.”
Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage said after the match that his side stayed in the contest for about an hour. “When I made the substitutions, the energy of the team went down, and I’m a little bit angry with that,” said Mr Sage. “Today, we existed in this game. We had a lot of chances. I think the 3-1 was a bad thing for us because we made the tactical mistake by not closing inside.”
Source: Manchester City official website (mancity.com)
TEAMS AND WHAT COMES NEXT
City’s starting XI was Donnarumma; Khusanov, Dias (captain), Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Anderson, Guehi, Foden; Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland. Ayyoub Bouaddi, signed in the past 48 hours, made his debut from the bench in the 82nd minute with Ryan McAidoo. Mateo Kovacic came on in the 75th minute for his 100th City appearance.
Palace started Henderson; Khalaili, Canvot, Richards, Tomiyasu, Mitchell; Wharton, Kamada; Pino, Nketiah, Strand Larsen. The hosts have no points from two league matches. Mr Sage’s first home league game ended in a second straight defeat.
Anderson’s display at Selhurst Park followed his summer move from Nottingham Forest, one of the window’s headline Premier League transfers. City host Coventry City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, 5 September. Palace visit Fulham on the same afternoon.
Saturday’s remaining Premier League programme in Singapore time is Liverpool against Nottingham Forest at Anfield at 7.30pm, then Tottenham Hotspur against Newcastle United at 12.30am on Sunday. For more on the round, see the Premier League GW3 weekend preview and the EPL transfer deadline round-up. Further football files sit in the Sports archive.
