Crystal Palace vs Manchester City Review
Rayan Cherki scored twice in the second half to lead Manchester City to a convincing 4-1 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League. This victory extended City’s impressive head-to-head league record against Palace to 10 matches unbeaten (7 wins, 3 draws). With Pierre Sage managing Palace at Selhurst Park for the first time, the Eagles almost had a perfect start within two minutes when Eddie Nketiah’s angled shot was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma at the near post. This early chance energized the visitors, who soon came close themselves. Elliot Anderson’s long-range shot was saved by Dean Henderson, and Erling Haaland’s follow-up attempt was blocked inside the six-yard box.
Refusing to be denied, the Norwegian star broke the deadlock for City in the 17th minute when Antoine Semenyo’s curling cross was expertly headed into the top corner by Haaland, marking his first goal of the new season. Having remained unbeaten in all seven of their Premier League away matches in London last season (4 wins, 3 draws), the Cityzens should have extended their lead before the 30-minute mark, but Phil Foden missed two excellent chances inside the box.
Palace continued to pose a threat at the other end, with Sage’s team nearly equalizing before halftime as Tyrick Mitchell narrowly missed a free header at the far post. City began the second half aggressively, and their efforts paid off in the 54th minute when Foden set up Cherki, who skillfully maneuvered past defenders before calmly finishing past Henderson. However, the visitors’ two-goal lead was short-lived, as a spectacular long-range free-kick from Yéremy Pino struck the post and then hit Donnarumma, allowing Palace back into the game.
Undeterred, Enzo Maresca’s team regained their two-goal cushion just before the hour mark, with Cherki’s powerful long-range shot deflecting off Chris Richards and soaring into the top corner. That turned out to be a decisive setback for the home team’s hopes of staging a comeback, as City dominated the game, bringing on new signing Ayyoub Bouaddi for his debut in the last 10 minutes. The visitors further embellished the score late on with Haaland, who powerfully finished into the top corner following a smart pass from Foden, extending the Eagles’ winless streak in the Premier League to nine games (2 draws, 6 losses).
