Cherki and Haaland inspire Man City to convincing victory over Palace

The result gave City maximum points from their opening two matches and underlined their attacking strength, with Palace unable to contain the visitors after making a lively start at Selhurst Park.

Palace initially threatened to unsettle their opponents, but City broke the deadlock in the 17th minute.

Antoine Semenyo delivered a dangerous cross into the area and Haaland rose above the defence to produce a looping header that sailed beyond goalkeeper Dean Henderson.City almost doubled their advantage four minutes later when Phil Foden lifted a shot over the crossbar in an open contest.

Palace continued to pose a threat after the interval and missed an excellent opportunity to equalise when Eddie Nketiah failed to capitalise on a promising chance.Cherki then changed the complexion of the match in the 54th minute.

The French playmaker weaved his way through the Palace defence before calmly poking the ball past Henderson to make it 2-0.

The hosts were handed a lifeline two minutes later through a bizarre own goal.

Yeremy Pino’s free kick struck the crossbar before rebounding onto Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the ball then hitting the post and eventually crossing the line.Any hopes of a Palace comeback disappeared in the 59th minute when Cherki restored City’s two-goal cushion.

His effort took a deflection off Chris Richards and flew into the net to complete his brace.

Haaland then put the result beyond doubt five minutes from full time.

The Norwegian collected a pass from Foden before unleashing a powerful left-footed finish to complete City’s four-goal haul.

City manager Enzo Maresca praised his players for responding well to Palace’s energetic opening and said his side deserved the victory after taking control of possession and the game.

Maresca also highlighted Foden’s adaptability, noting that the England international became increasingly comfortable operating centrally behind Haaland as the match progressed.Man City 4-1 PalaceLiverpool 2-2 Nottm ForestHull 1-0 CoventryEverton 1-1 BournemouthNewcastle 2-0 Spurs LONDON – Manchester City maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season as Rayan Cherki and Erling Haaland scored twice each in an emphatic 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace.