Manchester City Thrash Crystal Palace 4–1 as Haaland and Cherki Shine

Manchester City produced an impressive away performance on Friday night, defeating Crystal Palace 4–1 at Selhurst Park to make it two wins from two at the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season.

Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki were the stars of the evening, with both players scoring twice as Manchester City showed their attacking quality under new manager Enzo Maresca.

City went into the match looking to build on their dramatic 2–1 comeback victory over Bournemouth in their opening league game. Crystal Palace, meanwhile, were hoping to respond after beginning their campaign with a 2–0 defeat to Everton.

Haaland opened the scoring before Palace briefly threatened to get back into the contest. However, City raised the tempo after the break and Cherki produced a brilliant individual moment to double the visitors’ advantage.

Cherki struck again in the second half before Haaland completed his brace, putting the result beyond doubt. Palace managed only one goal, leaving City with a convincing 4–1 victory.

The result gives Manchester City six points from their opening two matches, strengthening their early position near the top of the Premier League table. Palace, on the other hand, remain without a point after their first two league fixtures.

For Maresca, the victory represents another encouraging step as he begins life in charge of Manchester City following Pep Guardiola’s departure. The combination of Haaland’s finishing and Cherki’s creativity will give City supporters plenty of reason for optimism.

Manchester City will now look to maintain their perfect start when they return to Premier League action, while Crystal Palace face the task of recovering from two consecutive defeats.