Rayan Cherki announced himself in spectacular fashion as Manchester City swept aside Crystal Palace 4-1, with Enzo Maresca describing the Frenchman’s display as a complete game.
Cherki scored twice in a breathtaking second-half performance at Selhurst Park as City made it two Premier League wins from two and climbed to the top of the table.
It was another statement night for the talented midfielder, who had already made an impact from the bench in City’s opening 2-1 victory over Bournemouth, providing two assists.
But against Palace, Cherki took centre stage. The Frenchman produced two moments of pure quality, first weaving through Palace defenders before applying a sublime finish.
He then followed it up with a spectacular strike to complete his brace.
Erling Haaland also struck twice as Manchester City turned the contest into a commanding 4-1 victory.
For Maresca, however, Cherki’s contribution went far beyond the goals.
“For sure he’s happy. His performance for me was very good not just the two goals but the way he worked off the ball,” Maresca said.
Maresca revealed that Cherki had been given a major defensive responsibility during the game, particularly when Crystal Palace were in possession.
The City manager was impressed by the midfielder’s discipline and work rate, even though he felt the Frenchman was below his usual standard during the opening half.
“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.
“Probably he was not playing at his level in the first half.
“But we were happy with his performance off the ball. Then second half he scored twice and for sure he’s much more happy.”
Maresca also highlighted Cherki’s love for football as one of the qualities that makes him such an exciting player to manage.
“First of all, he loves football. So that makes it easier to work with him.
“Rayan is like this, we know how good he is. We know the quality that he has.
“In this moment, he is helping the team with the numbers in term of goals and assists and no doubt he’s going to help more in the future.”
Manchester City’s new Premier League campaign is already beginning to gather momentum.
Two wins from two have put the champions in a strong early position, while the combination of Haaland’s finishing power and Cherki’s creativity offers Maresca another dangerous attacking dimension.
Cherki’s ability to create, score and now contribute defensively could make him one of the key figures in City’s evolving side.
The 4-1 victory also saw Marc Guehi impress on his return to Selhurst Park.
Guehi had played in midfield against Bournemouth but returned to central defence against his former club, producing another assured display.
“He was impressive last week against Bournemouth as a midfielder and tonight as a central defender,” Maresca added.
“It’s what we need. He is a player who has an open mind and can be versatile and try to help the team.
“His performance tonight was very good. We’ll see we have 2 or 3 days for the transfer window and then to decide for the captains, we will see.”
Maresca wanted a complete performance — and on Friday night, Rayan Cherki delivered exactly that.
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